Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday renewed her call for a P200 daily minimum wage increase for workers in the private sector as the Senate Committee on Labor opened its hearing on wage-related measures. She noted that the current daily minimum wage in Metro Manila stands at P695, which she described as insufficient for families to meet basic needs.
“What can you even buy with this amount? A kilo of rice costs about 60 pesos. Fare is 13 pesos. If you add rent, electricity, water, and the children’s school allowance, it is clear that this is not enough for a Filipino family to live decently or comfortably,” Hontiveros lamented.
She argued that the existing wage is merely a “survival wage” that allows workers to get by until the next payday, not a true living wage. Her proposal seeks to grant the P200 increase across the board to all private sector workers regardless of employment status. This means contractual, subcontractual, agricultural, and non-agricultural workers would all be covered under the proposed adjustment.
“It should no longer be limited only to workers in NCR and in other regions currently being discussed,” the senator said. “Everyone faces the same burden of high prices of food, transportation, and services. That is why the wage increase should be felt in every part of the country where there are Filipino workers.”
