P35 wage hike in Metro Manila ‘insufficient’, senators say

FILE PHOTO: The P35 wage hike for Metro Manila’s private sector workers is “insufficient” to meet the real needs of the people, senators said Tuesday, Jul 2, 2024. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — The P35 wage hike for private sector workers in Metro Manila is “insufficient” to meet the real needs of the people, senators said Tuesday.

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero pointed out that the approved daily wage increase of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) is too small, considering the skyrocketing prices of essential goods.

Escudero likewise noted that the Senate passed a bill mandating a P100 daily pay increase for private sector workers — much higher than the RTWPB-sanctioned P35 wage hike but still lacking to provide a “living wage” as required under the 1987 Constitution.

“The Senate has passed a P100 across-the-board wage increase bill, which should be the minimum increase, albeit I believe it is still not enough to provide what the constitution requires, which is a ‘living wage’ and not a mere ‘minimum wage’,” he said in a statement.

READ: Wage hike of P35 for Metro Manila private sector workers approved – DOLE

“Maliwanag na kulang at malayo na matugunan ang tunay na mga pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan sa gitna ng mataas na presyo ng bilihin,” Escudero added. “Bakit nga ba palaging kulang ang binibigay ng omento ng RTWPB?!”

(It’s clear that it’s inadequate and far from meeting the real needs of our countrymen amid high prices of commodities. Why is RTWPB always granting meagre additional wages?)

“Ni minsan ay hindi pa sila tumama mula nang nilikha ang ahensyang ‘yan… saan ba sila bumibili ng bigas? Nag-grocery? Nag-palengke? Pa-share naman kamo kasi baka sobrang mura dun at kasya ang dagdag na P35 sa sahod na binigay nila,” he added.

(Not even once have they hit it right since that agency was formed. Where do they buy rice? Do grocery shopping? Which market do they buy from? I hope they share it with others because it might be too cheap there, and the additional P35 salary increase would be enough.)

On July 1, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced that the RTWPB had approved a P35-wage hike for private sector workers in Metro Manila or the National Capital Region. The pay adjustment will be implemented on July 17.

The DOLE said the additional pay in the daily minimum of private employees in the region means that in the non-agriculture sector, workers’ salary will rise from the prevailing P610 to P645, and in the agriculture sector, service and retail establishments employing 15 or fewer workers, and manufacturing establishments regularly employing less than 10 workers, the current P573 day-to-day wage will increase to P608.

According to the DOLE, the new pay rates, which translate to roughly a 5.7 percent increase from the prevailing daily minimum salary rates in the region, “remain above the latest regional poverty threshold for a family of five.”

However, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri did not think so, describing the P35 additional pay as “grossly insufficient.”

READ: P35 daily wage increase in NCR ‘an insult to workers’ – groups

“Nalulungkot po tayo at sadyang napakaliit ng inaprubahan ng ating wage boards para sa umento sa sahod ng ating mga minimum wage earners. Hindi ito tama at hindi ito sapat, period,” Zubiri said in an earlier statement.

(We are saddened that our wage boards approved very little for the salary increase of our minimum wage earners. It’s not right and not good enough, period.)

Zubiri is the principal author of the P100 across-the-board wage increase bill, which the Senate approved but remains pending in the House of Representatives.

“The wage boards should do their jobs well. Andami naming hearing sa Senado at maraming nagsabi na although maliit pa rin ang P100 na umento sa sahod araw-araw ay malaki ang maitutulong nito sa ating mga mamamayan,” he also pointed out.

(We had many hearings in the Senate, and many said that although the P100 daily wage increase is still small, it will significantly help our citizens.)

“Eh napakaliit ng P35 para makatulong sa isang araw ng manggagawa. Hindi ito makakabili ng isang kilong bigas. P3 lang ang diperensya nito sa extra rice sa Jollibee na nasa P32 na isa. What are our wage boards thinking?” he added.

(Well, P35 is too little to help a worker in a day. It cannot buy a kilo of rice. Its difference is only P3 from the extra rice at Jollibee, which is P32. What are our wage boards thinking?)

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, meanwhile, acknowledged that the P35 wage hike is “timely and essential.” Nevertheless, he shared the sentiments of his fellow senators that the amount is skimpy.

“Mas mahirap sa mga naghihikahos nating kababayan na tustusan ang pang-araw-araw na gastusin ng kanilang pamilya ang patuloy na pagtaas na presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin kaya makakatulong ang dagdag sa sahod lalo na sa mga minimum wage earners,” Estrada said.

(It is more difficult for our impoverished compatriots to cover the daily expenses of their families due to the constant increase in the price of basic goods, so the increase in wages will help, especially for minimum wage earners.)

“Pero sana tumaas pa ang arawang sahod nila dahil kakarampot kung tutuusin ang dagdag na P35,” he also said.

(But I hope their daily wages will increase more because the extra P35 is meagre.)

Estrada likewise stressed that “it would be more satisfactory if the existing wage rate is given a legislated wage hike.”

He further emphasized that micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which account for 99.5 percent of the country’s total number of business establishments, should be given adequate assistance.

Estrada pointed out that the government “must strike a balance between ensuring fair wages for our workers and supporting the growth and sustainability of our MSMEs.”

According to him, “providing incentives and support for [MSMEs] will help them adapt to wage increases while continuing to thrive and contribute to economic growth.”

“But for the meantime, this adjustment will provide much-needed relief to our workers and their families, ensuring they have a better chance at maintaining a decent standard of living,” Estrada said.

Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel, on the other hand, emphasized that workers “are all entitled to a just living wage.”

“The amount for a just living daily wage (after 8 hours of work) must be determined by those knowledgeable in the field,” he said.

“These amounts should not and cannot vary too widely among the regions of the country because as human beings we basically have the same needs for a decent life. The current daily wage in Metro Manila of around P600+ is obviously still not enough to be considered a just living daily wage,” Pimentel added.