Legarda backs proposals to raise workers’ minimum wage

Senator Loren Legarda on Monday expressed support for proposals to raise the minimum wage of workers amid the rising prices of goods and services, supposedly because of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act.

“I agree that the minimum wage must be adjusted,” Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on finance, told reporters, noting that she has been pushing for an across -the-board increase for minimum wage earners.

“I really think we should spread our blessings,” she added.

The Associated Labor Unions–Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) is proposing that the daily minimum wage be raised to P800 amid the rising prices allegedly because of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act.

READ: Labor group urges gov’t to set P800 minimum wage

A bill filed in the House of Representatives, meanwhile, sought to raise the daily minimum wage to P750.

At present, the daily minimum wage ranges from P255 in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to P512 in Metro Manila.

Asked about proposals suspending the imposition of excise tax on fuel, Legarda said she was not sure if that could be done since the money was already earmarked for the doubling of the military pay and free college education.

“But the increase in the minimum wage, I’d like to se how the employers would react in the impact on business but yes I’m in favor of increasing for our labor force because our labor force is our human capital,” she said. /vvp