With only six session days left: Labor groups urge House to pass ₱200 wage hike bill

Philippines Graphic
By Philippines Graphic
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(L-R) Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) Advocacy Officer Mark Villena, TUCP VP Luis Corral, PSLINK President Annie Geron, SENTRO Policy Officer Benjamin Alvero, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) Chair Domeng Mole, Federation of Free Workers (FFW) President Sonny Matula and Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Chair Elmer Labog. Their organizations are united in supporting the PhP150 daily wage hike nationwide and across the board

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Five of the country’s largest labor groups will march to the House of Representatives tomorrow, June 2, to call for the immediate passage of the P200 across-the-board legislated wage increase, now on third and final reading.

These groups—making up the National Wage Coaltion (NWC)—include: the Federation of Free Workers (FFW), Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition (NAGKAISA!), and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).

MOMENT OF TRUTH

The historic significance of this ₱200 wage hike cannot be overstated—it will be the first legislated nationwide wage increase since 1989. It is expected to bring much-needed relief to millions of Filipino workers who continue to struggle with rising costs of living and stagnant wages, the NWC said.

“The ball is now in the House as the Senate passed its version as early as February last year,” NAGKAISA chair and NWC Convenor Sonny Matula said.

Matula stressed: “With only six session days left this June, this is the moment of truth for the 19th Congress. We urge Speaker Martin Romualdez and our lawmakers: Be the House of the People—pass the ₱200 wage hike now!”

LONG OVERDUE

More than five million minimum wage earners across the country and their families are counting on this long-overdue legislation to lift them from poverty wages, Matula said.

“If the 19th Congress fails to pass it this June, the process will reset and start from step one under the 20th Congress. Non-passage would be a step backward, moving us further away from achieving a living wage—a right guaranteed by the Constitution but still unrealized nearly four decades since its ratification,” he warned.

Matula also highlighted the widening gap between economic growth and workers’ welfare: “The economy has been growing for many years, but Filipino workers—especially in the provinces—have experienced negative growth in real wages. Except in Metro Manila, wages nationwide have fallen to below 30% of the purchasing power of the 1989 wage. Our workers are trapped in unexplained poverty, while the rich continue to get richer and richer.”

“We urgently need to narrow this gap by implementing an initial nationwide wage hike as a crucial step toward achieving a living wage,” Matula added.

SHOW OF BROAD UNITY

Monday’s mobilization is regarded as a powerful show of broad unity among labor groups determined to see this wage hike become law before Congress adjourns.

The march—which will carry the call: Kongreso, isabatas ang ₱200 dagdag sahod ngayon na!—will begin at 9 a.m. at the Batasan Hills National High School and will move to the House of Representatives South Gate at 10 a.m.

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Started in 1927, the Philippines Graphic is the longest-running printed magazine of national circulation that provides relevant news and features and promotes Philippine literature.

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