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CEBU CITY — Labor unions in Central Visayas are ramping up their call for a P200 wage increase, urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to promptly certify the proposal as urgent.
They argue that the region continues to grapple with poverty and escalating living costs.
At a press conference on Thursday, ALU-CVR vice president Atty. Zeus Mabanag criticized the recent wage adjustments approved by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Central Visayas.
Mabanag said that the adjustments, which ranged from a P33 to P43 increase, depending on the worker category, were inadequate in addressing the workers' financial struggles.
Mabanag pointed out that the RTWPB's wage hike falls short of meeting workers' basic needs or helping them rise above the poverty line.
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He stressed that a P200 increase is essential for workers to maintain dignity and keep up with the rising costs of daily life.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the monthly poverty threshold for a family of five is P14,397.
In comparison, the current minimum wage for workers in Central Visayas, set at P501 per day for 26 working days, amounts to only P13,026 per month, leaving a shortfall of P1,371 from the poverty line.
ALU-CVR Education and Information Director Jun Tagalog pointed out that only one region in the country, the National Capital Region (NCR), offers a minimum wage above the poverty threshold.
He found it contradictory that Cebu, often regarded as the second most developed region in the country, still lags behind in terms of wages. He further highlighted that Western Visayas offers a higher daily minimum wage of P513.
Tagalog also noted that the daily cost of healthy food for a family of five, estimated by the Ateneo Policy Center, amounts to P693.30. With the current wage structure, workers are struggling to meet basic needs.
The TUCP is pushing for the wage increase to be legislated before the 19th Congress concludes.
A substitute bill consolidating several wage hike proposals was approved by the House Committee on Labor and Employment on Jan. 30, 2025.
House Bill (HB) 514, 7568, and 7871, which is introduced by TUCP party-list representative and deputy speaker Raymond Mendoza, propose wage hikes ranging from P150 to P750 across the private sector.
Although the bill passed the House plenary on Feb. 3, the P200 wage increase was limited to minimum wage earners.
However, with Congress adjourned on Feb. 5, the bill is still awaiting approval on its third reading.
Tagalog expressed concern that time is running out as Congress is in recess until June 13, with the 19th Congress set to adjourn by June 30.
He and Mabanag remain hopeful that swift action from both the Senate and House will allow the bill to pass before the deadline.
Both labor leaders stressed the importance of President Marcos' certification of the bill, noting that the process needs to be expedited in order to pass the bill before Congress adjourns.
"If the bill isn't passed within the 19th Congress, it will need to be refiled and start over in the 20th Congress," Tagalog warned, underscoring the urgency of securing a fair wage increase for workers.
