Solon proposes P650 national minimum wage

A party-list lawmaker was proposing a P650 national minimum wage to help workers, especially those belonging to the private sector, cope with the rising prices of basic commodities.

In a Dobol B sa News TV interview on Sunday, Kabayan party-list Representative Ron Salo said he was pushing for a P650 national minimum wage considering that the salaries of workers from different regions differed even though they all experienced the rising prices of goods.

"Ang panukala natin, pangkalahatan, pangkabuuan sapagkat ang concerns natin nag-iiba-iba depende kung saang lugar yung isang manggagawa, nag-iiba rin yung basic minimum wage," Salo explained.

According to Salo, private sector employee salaries had fallen behind that of government employees, who were recently given increases no matter the region they worked in.

"Hindi lang [sila] napag-iiwanan, iba-iba pa yung minimum wage depende sa lugar. Samantalang sa gobyerno, kahit saan ka sa Pilipinas, pareho lang yung tinatanggap na sweldo, nag-iiba lang yung tatanggapin mong sweldo depende sa sanctions na gagampanan mo," he said.

"Sa pribado, kahit saan naman pareho pa rin naman, mataas pa rin yung bilhin and yet mababa masyado doon sa ibang lugar," he added.

In another statement, Salo said that increasing the minimum daily wage to P650 across the board would help stop workers from going abroad in search of better opportunities.

"More job opportunities must be created in the country so Pinoys don’t have to work abroad. The Filipino would naturally prefer to be close to family and remain in the Philippines. A higher minimum wage would make more Pinoys stay in their hometowns," he emphasized. — Erwin Colcol/DVM, GMA News