The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to certify as urgent the P200 legislated wage hike in light of the imminent fare increase for LRT-1.
LRT-1 tickets will see the minimum fare go up from P15 to P20 and the maximum fare to P45 starting April 2.
“April is turning out to be a month with three significant increases in transport fares, while the much-needed P200 wage increase is being delayed by the government indefinitely,” said TUCP president Raymond Democrito Mendoza.
“We urge the President to certify the P200 legislated wage hike as urgent now, not months from now. The workers of this country cannot wait and suffer any longer,” he said.
Mendoza said the P200 daily minimum wage increase have already been approved by the House of Representatives on second reading. He noted that this is the first legally mandated wage increase in more than thirty years, dating back to 1989.
“However, instead of being prioritized, it is currently stalled in Congress, similar to how overworked and underpaid Filipino workers find themselves stuck for hours in EDSA traffic,” Mendoza lamented.
“Without this wage increase to help them rise above the poverty line, Filipino families will face the heartbreaking decision of choosing between transportation and food,” he added.
“The long-overdue and much-deserved P200 wage hike is not just relief—it is a lifeline. But what use is a lifeline if Congress waits until June to act, while workers are already drowning in skyrocketing transport costs by April” Mendoza said.