Thousands of workers will stage rallies nationwide today to press President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to certify as urgent a measure seeking a P200 across-the-board wage hike as the country marks Labor Day.
Labor group Partido Manggagawa said the swift passage of the legislated wage hike measure will address the worsening hunger and poverty in the country.
“Offering cheap rice is not enough. The P200 wage hike plus the P20 subsidized rice are initial steps to alleviate the conditions of poor and hungry Filipinos,” PM secretary-general Judy Ann Miranda said.
“We ask President Bongbong Marcos to certify as urgent the pending P200 salary increase bill in Congress,” she added.
Thousands of workers from various Philippine trade union centers, labor federations, and workers’ organizations spearheaded by the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Nagkaisa Labor Coalition (NAGKAISA!), and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) will march together in solidarity to Mendiola today under the banner of the National Wage Coalition to send a strong message supporting the P200 wage hike.
In a separate statement, Senator Grace Poe said a wage increase would be a timely and meaningful response to the rising cost of living, as many Filipinos are tightening their belts to stretch their income and meet basic family needs.
“Let us give them the time to breathe and feel the rewards of their hard work,” Poe said.
Poe earlier authored a bill proposing a P100 daily minimum wage hike to provide workers with a more livable income.
“As the backbone of the economy, the Filipino labor force deserves a decent living wage that will give their families a respectable standard of living,” she added.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri also pledged continued support for higher wages and labor reforms.
“I reaffirm my full commitment to push for a daily minimum wage increase — whether it’s the P100 hike already approved by the Senate, the proposed P200 increase in the House of Representatives, or any reasonable amount in between that brings real relief to our workers,” Zubiri said.
He said wage increases are not gifts but rights that must be upheld.
“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,” Zubiri said.
Malacañang yesterday also rejected attempts to politicize the President’s order granting free train rides from April 30 to May 3, saying it was a sincere gesture to honor and pay tribute to Filipino workers in time for Labor Day.
“Let us not inject malice into this. Let the public benefit from what the government can offer them,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a press briefing at the Palace.
The initiative, which covers Metro Manila’s major railway lines – Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), LRT-2, and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) – is fully funded by the government, Castro said.
May 1 is celebrated globally as a day dedicated to honor the rights of workers.
In Manila, hundreds of workers from various labor groups will assemble along various points in España today then march at 7:00 am to Mendiola for a joint program. Partido Manggawa and allied groups will assemble at Petron Blumentritt at 6:30 am.
In Cebu, various labor groups will converge at Fuente Osmeña, Cebu City at 9:00 am. Sugar farm workers and allied groups in Bacolod, meanwhile, will hold an indoor assembly in the morning. In the afternoon, they will assemble at Rizal Elementary School then march to Bacolod Plaza afternoon:
In Iloilo, the coalition United Labor will hold a program at 1:00 pm in front of UP Visayas then march to the Provincial Capitol for a joint program. Unions in Iligan will hold a rally in the morning at the plaza with the city’s tripartite industrial peace council.
“Filipino workers are amplifying their demands for higher wages, regular employment, and accessible public services amid worsening economic conditions,” Miranda said.