Different progressive groups in Baguio City mark Labor Day with a protest at the Igorot Park on Monday, May 1. (Photo by Jethro Bryan Andrada)
BAGUIO CITY-Despite the pouring rain, workers and students from several progressive organizations held a protest at Igorot Park here on Monday to mark Labor Day and call for better wages and support for informal workers amid rising inflation.
Prior to the protest, a forum about the struggles of workers in the Cordillera region and the need for higher pay was held at the SSS Building.
“Napakababa talaga ng sahod,” Mike Cabangon from Kilusang Mayo Uno said.
“Ang sahod ng manggagawa sa Cordillera na P400 hindi makahabol sa presyo ng bilihin at implasyon na nangyayari sa ngayon.”
[The wages are very low. The P400 daily wage of workers in the Cordillera region cannot keep up with the price of goods and inflation.)
During the forum, Alliance of Concerned Teachers’ (ACT) Ruel Caricativo showed data indicating the ideal wage for a family of five in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) was P1,159, with consideration to the 7.1% inflation rate in the region.
The sid amount is P759 short of the minimum wage in CAR.
The forum and protest also tackled the importance of support for the informal sector, as these jobs are largely unsustainable and unsupported by the government.
Daisy Bagni from the labor group Tignayan para iti Sweldo, Trabaho ken Karbengan (Tignayan STK), said the immediate assistance needed by informal workers is job stability.
On the other hand, City Councilor Arthur Allad-iw, chairman of the Committee on Employment, expressed his willingness to help the informal sector during the forum, and urged forum participants to aid local legislators in crafting policies.
“If you can draft resolutions or recommendations, present them to the congressman of Baguio. At the local level, we will also find ways to help,” he added in Filipino.