Villanueva urges House to pass P100 wage hike bill as PH set to celebrate Labor Day

Senate Committee on Labor Chairperson Joel Villanueva on Tuesday urged the House of Representatives to approve on third and final reading the bill that increases the minimum wage by P100.

Villanueva made the call two days before the celebration of Labor Day on May 1. Congress is currently on session break to pave the way for Eleksyon 2025 campaign. Sessions will resume on June 2.

“Hinihintay po natin ‘yung pagpasa ng Kamara. Inaasahan din po natin at inaapela sa ating mga counterpart sa Kamara de Representantes na ipasa din po ito,” Villanueva said during the Kapihan sa Senado forum.

“Nang sa ganon maibsan ‘yung kalunos-lunos na situation ng ating manggagawa na talaga namang napakahirap… Mas mabilis ‘yung taas ng bilihin kaysa sa pagtaas ng kanilang sweldo,” he added.

While he acknowledged the efforts of the Regional Wage Boards in following their mandates, Villanueva said these are not enough to provide workers a decent wage.

“Sabi nga sa isang pelikula… tinimbang ka ngunit kulang. Parang kulang na kulang pa rin talaga. So what’s 100 pesos daily wage increase?” Villanueva added.

Comparing the minimum wage in the Philippines to other countries, the senator also mentioned another bill that is currently pending in the Senate which determines the standards of living wage.

The House version of the P200 wage hike bill was approved at the committee level before Congress adjourned in February for the campaign season. The Senate has already passed its version, proposing a P100 wage increase.

Should the House of Representatives approve its version of the bill, the two chambers must reconcile the differing proposals before the 19th Congress ends on June 13.

In January, Villanueva has already called on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to certify as urgent the the Senate bill increasing the minimum wage by P100.

However, the President said this should be studied further. — BAP, GMA Integrated News