BILLS seeking to impose a legislated national wage hike have been sidelined at the House of Representatives, with the House Labor committee focusing its efforts on exercising oversight over an aid for displaced workers program.
The House labor committee also faces limited time to discuss the bills with the approach of the 2025 midterm elections, Rizal Rep. Juan Fidel Felipe F. Nograles, the committee’s chairman, said.
“We haven’t had a vote yet because we’re currently wrapping up. We’ll adjourn by the end of February, so there’s very limited time to hold another committee hearing for a vote,” Mr. Nograles told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of a hearing.
When asked if the wage hike bills will not be revisited, he said: “Not really. It’s just that time is limited because the 19th Congress is wrapping up. But if we find more time, we’ll include it in the next agenda.”
The 19th Congress is scheduled to end on July 27. Both the Senate and House will go on a four-month break between February and June for the midterms.
Separate House bills are seeking to increase wages of private-sector workers by between P150 and P750 have been filed. The Senate has approved a bill increasing the daily minimum wage in the private sector by P100.
“For now, we’re giving the wage boards an opportunity to review their existing wage orders before we hold a (wage hike) hearing. The review by all the wage boards has not yet been completed,” Mr. Nograles said.
The Philippines adjusts salaries through regional wage boards, though labor groups have called the hikes insufficient.
“I’m saddened that the salary or national wage increase for our workers cannot be discussed at the moment because it is one of the major concerns of our people today, second only to inflation,” Deputy Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. France L. Castro, a member of the House labor committee, told BusinessWorld.
“We will still encourage and enjoin the labor committee to finalize the (wage hike) hearing and report on the salary increase bill,” she added.
Mr. Nograles said his committee will focus on overseeing TUPAD (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged or Displaced Workers) in the remaining days of the 19th Congress. TUPAD is an aid program providing emergency and temporary employment for laid off or underemployed workers.
“We will still push for the salary increase,” Ms. Castro said. “If we need to mobilize our organizations and lobby, we will do it.” — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio