Zubiri: PBBM's SONA will be a 'slam dunk, home run' if Congress passes P100 wage hike bill
July 30, 2024
ZUBIRI: PBBM'S SONA WILL BE A 'SLAM DUNK, HOME RUN' IF CONGRESS PASSES P100 WAGE HIKE BILL
30 July 2024
Former Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri said President Bongbong Marcos Jr.'s State of the Nation Address will be a resounding success - a "slam dunk" or a "home run" - if the 19th Congress passes the P100 legislated daily minimum wage hike bill.
At the same time, Zubiri has asked Senate President Chiz Escudero to intervene on behalf of millions of Filipino minimum wage earners and press the leadership of the House of Representatives to act on the measure now pending in the chamber.
During his interpellation on the counter-SONA delivered by Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel, Zubiri pointed out that it would reflect highly on the Marcos administration if the legislated wage hike bill is passed into law as this would do a great service to millions of Filipino families reeling from high prices of goods and low salary rates.
"I think that would make the President's SONA and his leadership a slam dunk, or if baseball, a home run, pag nangyari yun. Many millions of workers would not only be employed but happily employed," Zubiri said.
Zubiri raised the issue of the very low minimum wage rates now prevailing all over the country, especially in Mindanao, and asked the Senate leadership to discuss it with the lower house.
"If you noticed, there was a series of surveys after the President's SONA, yun pa rin ang (issues) ng tao eh, ang presyo ng bilihin at mababang sweldo. So, it goes back to that, unless we answer these issues, talagang it will always frustrate the people," Zubiri said in plenary.
"Hindi tayo magiging isang 'happy nation,' ika nga. If you read the surveys, self-rated poverty has increased. I think the challenge now is asking our leadership, Senate President Escudero together with the leadership of the Senate now, to talk to the House," he added.
"Huwag sana nilang pabayaan o hindi pansinin yung ating request for legislated (daily minimum) wage hike."
The Senate has already approved on third and final reading a measure calling for a P100 increase in the daily minimum wage rates nationwide, and it has been languishing in the House of Representatives.
Zubiri said the reason for this is some House lawmakers believe P100 is "too low".
"I would like to put on record, we dare them: If they want to pass a P200 minimum wage hike, let's do it. We dare them to do it. But not to act on it is a big slap on the face of all our laborers. Kawawang-kawawa talaga sila," the senator from Bukidnon declared.
He added that regional wage boards are doing Filipino workers a disservice by approving "a pittance" when it comes to increasing the minimum wage rates, citing the recent increases in Metro Manila and other regions.
"And then nagrelease yung NCR na medyo nakakainsulto, I think P35, hindi pa kasya sa isang kilong bigas ang nirelease po nilang additional wages. And we don't consider these living wages, and it's too low," he further lamented.
Zubiri said in Mindanao, workers receive even less wages than their counterparts all over the country.
"As a matter of fact ... Mindanao still has a daily (minimum) wage of less than P400. I think, if I'm not mistaken, BARMM and CARAGA have P385, less than P400, P385 o P395," he bared.
"And alam naman po natin yung presyo ng gasolina, ganun din ang presyo doon (Mindanao) at dito sa NCR. Presyo ng pagkain, ganun din po. Pati ang presyo ng bigas sa Mindanao. Yung McDonalds at Jollibee, hindi naman nag-iiba ang presyo sa Mindanao at sa Manila, it's the same," he said.
Even the cost of electricity in Mindanao is more expensive compared to Metro Manila, at P14 per kwh compared to about P9 in the National Capital Region.
"And yet, the regional wage boards have not acted on these petitions requested by our kababayans ... I think, now is the time to act on a legistated wage hike to put a floor on the (amount) of wages just like what they do in other countries like Europe and the United States," Zubiri explained.
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