Zubiri renews push for higher pay: Not choice but justice

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri is pushing anew for raising the wages of private sector workers. — File photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau

MANILA, Philippines— Raising the workers’ pay amid the soaring prices of goods and services “is no longer a matter of choice but of justice,” Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said on Wednesday.

As the country marks Labor Day on Thursday,  May 1,  Zubiri reaffirmed his commitment to push for a higher pay for workers— whether it’s the Senate approved P100 hike, the proposed P200 increase in the House of Representatives, “or any reasonable amount in between that brings real relief to our workers.”

“Amid the rising cost of basic goods and services, this is no longer a matter of choice but of justice. Ang dagdag sahod ay hindi regalo. Isa itong karapatan na dapat igalang at ipaglaban,” he stressed in a statement.

Zubiri originally sought a P150 daily wage increase for workers in the private sector in a bill he filed when he was still Senate president in 2023.

READ: Zubiri seeks P150 daily pay hike for private sector workers

The Senate only approved a P100 increase in February last year.

Although there is a higher daily wage hike proposal of P200, it remains pending in the House.

Zubiri recognized that pushing for legislation that protects workers’ rights and welfare “is far from over.”

“We cannot speak of economic growth when those who make it possible continue to live paycheck to paycheck. Real progress must be felt at the dining table, in the classrooms where workers send their children, and in the homes they struggle to build,”   he said.

“Filipino workers have waited long enough. They deserve not just praise, but policies that uplift them, protect their rights, and honor their sacrifices,” the senator added.

Sen. Joel Villanueva also urged the House earlier to act on the pending wage hike bill, as the 19th Congress has only six session days left from June 2 to June 13.

READ: Villanueva asks House: Pass wage hike bill before adjournment