Zubiri vows wage hike bill passage by year-end, slams DOLE for ‘neutral’ stance

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri has committed to pass the measure seeking an across-the-board minimum wage hike nationwide even though the economic managers of the Marcos administration warned against it.

“The cost of living has increased all over the country and they need that decent wage para makabuhay sila nang disente. Kaya itutulak talaga namin 'yan [so that they can live decently. That's why we are pushing it]. We are pushing that before the year ends. Again, by December, we will pass the legislated wage bill,” he said in a press conference Thursday.

“It may not be a priority of the LEDAC [Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council] but what is important is that the Senate will make a stand. We will pass it here,” he added.

Once it is passed, Zubiri said, he will appeal to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to agree with their proposal in hopes that the House of Representatives will pass a similar measure.

“Kapag naipasa na namin 'yan, lalapitan ko na po ang ating Pangulo at makikiusap po ako sa kanya and kapag pumayag siya, hopefully, ang Mababang Kapulungan will able to pass a similar measure. So that by next year it will be a great Christmas gift for Filipino people for 2024,” he said.

(When we pass it, I will speak with the President and if he agrees, hopefully the lower chamber will be able to pass a similar measure.)

The administration's economic managers claimed that a P150 wage hike would increase inflation and slow down economic growth.

'Useless'

Zubiri also took a swipe at the Department of Labor and Employment for taking a “neutral” stand on the proposed legislated wage hike.

DOLE briefed the Senate Finance Committee on their proposed budget for 2024 earlier today.

“Kaya hindi na ako nag-attend ng DOLE kasi useless eh [This is why I don't attend DOLE hearings because it's useless]. They will always stay neutral. The DOLE will always stay neutral, which I think, is a misconception and a wrong position to take. They should not be neutral, they should always fight for the welfare of the laborers,” he said.

Zubiri stressed the need for an across-the-board minimum wage increase as he pointed out that the laborers in Metro Manila were granted a P40 minimum wage increase by the regional tripartite wage board but employees in Mindanao were not granted the same.

“Ang presyo ba ng bigas doon ay mas mura kaysa dito? Last time I checked, pareho po ang presyo ng bigas sa Mindanao at dito sa Metro Manila. ‘Yung presyo ba ng kuryente ay mas mura doon kaysa dito? Last I checked, mas mahal ang presyo ng kuryente sa Mindanao kaysa sa NCR. Mas mura pa dito,” he said.

(Is the price of rice lower there than here? Last time I checked, the price of rice is the same in Mindanao and here in Metro Manila. Are power rates cheaper there than here? Last I checked, electricity costs more in Mindanao that in the NCR. It's cheaper here.)

During the hearing on DOLE’s budget, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Majority Leader Joel Villanueva expressed frustration over the lack of government efforts to provide workers the “living wage” that is expressly stated in the 1987 Constitution.

“When you’re determining a living wage, it is already a tripartite, it was never consensual. At the end of the day, they would come up with a decision na, ‘Wala e, hanggang dito na lang tayo [This is as far as we can go]’ despite the fact that we ourselves here in the legislative and the executive are agreeing that it's even far from the living wage, [this] minimum wage, and it has become unfortunately aspirational,” Villanueva said.

Pimentel, addressing the National Wages and Productivity Commission, said that the government must always work for that “aspirational” living wage.

“Siguro, we made a mistake 30 years ago when we delegated too much power—not in the delegation of the boards—but in delegating too much power and discretion to the commission and the board to the point that they made living wage only one of 10 factors. Dapat siguro 40 percent, 30 percent iyan by law. Lagay na po natin na ganoon ang weight na ibigay natin doon. Kasi kung one of 10 factors lang e baka they followed mathematical, baka 10 percent weight lang ang binigay nila roon,” he said.

(It should probably be 40 percent, 30 percent by law. Let's say that's the weight that we put on it. Because if you say it's just one of 10 factors maybe they followed the mathematical and just placed a 10-percent weight on it.)

“We review that law which created the National Wages and Productivity Commission and at the same time, we review the need for passing a legislated national minimum wage on top of which, the regional wage boards can still add, in case they disagree with our new minimum. All of a sudden, they're inspired na greater than that new minimum ang kailangan dito sa region. That should still be allowed by law,” he suggested.

Technical input

In response, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said that it is up to Congress to legislate a new minimum wage and the DOLE will not give a position on the matter but they will assist in technical input.

“The law itself mentioned the demand for living wage as part of the consideration of the regional tripartite. Nandoon po siya… Nasa inyo po bilang lehislatura ang awtoridad na magpanukala at magpasa ng batas. Kami po ay magbibigay lamang ng technical inputs,” he said.

(It's there...You as the legislature have the authority to plan and pass a law. We just give technical input.)

“Kung nadinig niyo ang technical inputs po namin, kayo po ang bahalang humusga kung nakikita niyo na dapat isaalang-alang. Kasi through the years po talagang direksyon natin e considering the realities on the ground, and the statistics I mentioned about how many micro enterprises we have, ito po ay medyo kasama sa ating pagsasaalang-alang. Hindi po kami ngayon  nagbibigay ng sinasabi naming categorical—tumututol po kami o hindi kami sumasang-ayon. Kayo po ang meron pong poder,” he added.

(If you heard our technical input, it is up to you to judge whether it should be considered. Through the years our direction has been considering the realities on the ground, and the statistics I mentioned about how many micro enterprises we have, this is part of our considerations. We do not give categorical—we do not agree. You have the power.)

Meanwhile, National Wages Productivity Commission Executive Director Maria Criselda Sy said that the minimum wage is only intended to protect workers from any vulnerabilities and that the government's main policy is to improve the employability of the Filipinos.

“It’s always ideal to look at the living wage, but as I mentioned earlier there are several factors that we have to consider. It's not just the living wage… Minimum wage is just a support policy. The main policy of the government is to improve the employability of our workers,” she said.

“There are several interventions being done by the government like free college education, free training, we have subsidies et cetera, which are intended to help the families especially those below the poverty threshold,” she said. — BM, GMA Integrated News