Senators yesterday tossed the blame back at the House of Representatives for supposedly failing to act on the proposed wage hike bill in time before the 19th Congress adjourned.
“Why is it that only at the last minute do they say we’re the ones causing the delay and that we have no time to adopt what they just sent us? If they had sent it before we adjourned back then, it would have been easier to discuss and study,” Senate President Francis Escudero said.
He pointed out that the lower chamber sat on the measure for 16 months despite repeated appeals from the upper chamber to adopt its version of the bill.
The Senate passed its proposal for a P100 daily minimum wage increase for private sector workers in February 2024, and immediately transmitted it to the House.
Escudero said the House did not act on the measure until the final hours of the last session day on June 11, leaving no time for bicameral deliberations.
Likewise, Sen. Joel Villanueva, chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development, said efforts were made to negotiate with House members to adopt the Senate bill.
“We passed this measure more than a year ago. We were able to get the official third reading copy of the House of Representatives 48 hours before we would adjourn. Yesterday (June 10), we talked to [House] members. They said they were amenable to adopting the Senate version,” Villanueva said during the last session day on Wednesday.
The Senate’s version, Senate Bill 2534, called for a P100 daily minimum wage hike for private sector workers nationwide, while the House version proposed a P200 increase, a figure that senators said lacked supporting data on economic impact and business viability.
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri voiced concern that insisting on a P200 wage hike could prompt a presidential veto and ultimately derail the measure.
“The Senate did its best to fight for the rights and fiscal incentives of having another 100 pesos a day increase. I am disheartened that they don’t want to negotiate with us,” he said.
For his part, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada also took aim at House spokesperson, lawyer Princess Abante, for accusing the Senate of blocking the wage hike.
He called Abante’s remarks baseless and said the Senate acted on the measure as early as last year.
Estrada urged Abante to “think before speaking” and maintained that the Senate should not be blamed for the bill’s failure to pass.
On Thursday, Abante said the Upper Chamber refused to convene a bicameral conference committee on the proposed minimum wage hike bills because Senators preferred that their version be adopted.
She accused the Senate of killing the wage hike proposals, even as congressmen were trying to find a compromise between the two wage proposals.
As this developed, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) assured workers that the regional wage boards would continue to fulfill their duties in reviewing petitions for wage increases filed by labor organizations, despite Congress’s failure to approve a legislated wage increase.
Labor Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez said that the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs) will not waver in their responsibilities, ensuring that the voices of workers are heard and considered in the wage determination process.
“In fact, for the National Capital Region, the process is already underway and we hope that there will be another assessment of whether there is a need to increase and how much the minimum wage rate will increase,” he said.
He pointed out that, in the past, bills that fail to pass are often reintroduced in the following Congress, adding that the DOLE would offer technical input.
“We respect the legislative process, and we will continue to participate in that process. As part of the executive, we can provide our opinions, technical input so that the bills can be better formulated,” Benavidez said.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Senators blame House for delay in wage hike bill.”