Speaker Martin Romualdez said the House of Representatives is expediting deliberations on a proposal to increase the minimum wage to P200 in order to provide immediate economic relief while considering the sustainability of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
On Wednesday, he said lawmakers are keen on a legislated wage hike that surpasses the P150 increase demanded by the labor sector.
“The emerging consensus in the House of Representatives, pending ongoing public consultation, might be to increase the minimum wage by P200 per day,” Romualdez said in Filipino.
However, he explained that congressmen are also weighing how a substantial salary adjustment will affect the viability of companies, especially smaller businesses.
The Speaker said solons seek “to craft a wage increase measure that meets the needs of our workers while ensuring that businesses, particularly MSMEs are supported during this transition.”
“Our MSMEs are the backbone of our economy, and they must be protected even as we address the needs of our workers. Through wage subsidies and other mechanisms, we aim to ensure that no one is left behind,” he added.
Despite apprehensions from the business sector, Romualdez stressed that the enactment of a successful wage hike law has a historical precedent.
He pointed out that the last legislated wage increase was enacted more than three decades ago under the Wage Rationalization Act of 1989, which successfully raised wages without causing massive inflation or widespread business closures.
“If we were able to do this in the past, there is no reason why we cannot do it now, especially with careful planning and collaboration with all sectors. We will not only increase the salary but we will make sure it is good for the economy,” Romualdez explained.
On Tuesday night the Speaker met with labor leaders and representatives of the country’s major labor groups at the Social Hall of the Speaker’s Office to listen to their inputs in support of their plea for a legislated wage hike.
Deputy Speaker and TUCP Party-list Rep. Democrito Raymond Mendoza and Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre accompanied the labor leaders in their meeting with Romualdez.
During the meeting with the labor sector, the Speaker agreed that the need for a meaningful wage adjustment is more pressing than ever as inflation continues to drive up the prices of essential goods and services.
The meeting came as the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) appealed to President Marcos to certify as urgent the proposed ₱150 legislated daily wage hike for private sector workers.
TUCP, touted as the country’s largest labor organization, also called on the legislature to “favorably consider a temporary suspension of excise taxes on petroleum products to cushion the severe impact of inflation which has eroded the take-home pay of workers precipitating a cost-of-living crisis for ordinary Filipino families.”
“We call on the House of Representatives to act with urgency and dispatch as the House of the People because every day of delay only exacerbates the uncertainty and suffering of every Filipino working family,” the TUCP Partylist said in a statement on Wednesday.