Senator Joel Villanueva called on the administration to certify the proposed wage hike bill as urgent, stressing the need to uplift the standard of living for Filipino workers.
“The window for the 19th Congress is slowly closing, which is why we need to speed up discussions and ensure the bill’s enactment before we adjourn,” the senator said.
Villanueva, who chairs the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resource Development, said the country’s economic growth must translate into better wages.
The Philippine economy grew by 5.6% in 2024, but Villanueva noted that this progress has yet to benefit many workers struggling with rising costs.
Senate Bill No. 2534, also known as the P100 Minimum Wage Hike Increase bill, was approved on third reading in February 2024. Villanueva co-authored the measure and welcomed ongoing deliberations on its counterpart bill in the House of Representatives.
“At the end of the day, what is important is that we can match our workers’ wages to the living wage,” he said. In addition to Senate Bill No. 2534, Villanueva filed Senate Bill No. 2140, which seeks to establish a national standard for a living wage.