Labor groups 'worried' about Marcos' statement on wage hike
Labor groups on Friday expressed concerns over President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr.'s statement about reviewing the proposed hike in minimum wage for workers.
Lawyer Sonny Matula of the Federation of Free Workers emphasized that the bill granting a P200 increase on the daily minimum wage has already undergone scrutiny by lawmakers.
'Nababahala kami sa statement na dapat dumaan pa ito sa comprehensive review. Hindi na kinakailangan ang opinion ng Wage Boards sapagkat dumaan na ito sa mga debate and deliberation sa House at saka sa Senado,' Matula said.
(We are concerned about it being subjected to a review and the Palace seeking the opinion of the wage boards. This bill has gone through debates in the House and Senate.)
"Hindi naman po Court of Appeals ng Kongreso ang ating mga Wage board na dapat i-consulta pa sila sa nangyaring pagpasa o pinasang panukalang batas," added Matula.
(The wage board is not the Court of Appeals which should be consulted over a bill already passed by Congress.)
The statement comes after Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said that Marcos will look into the economic implications of the proposed increase.
'We will look at the economic implications of this and how to resolve this with the opinion of the wage boards since the wage boards are also the creations of the Congress,''' Castro said.
Matula, however, urged Marcos to support the bill.
"Dapat ay aprobahan na [ang wage hike] sapagkat matagal na itong kinakailangan," he said.
(This should be approved as soon as possible because the public needs it badly.)
"Palagay ko ay isang insulto para sa mga representante sa House at sa ating mga Senador na konsultahin pa yung ating mga regional wage boards," added Matula.
(It would be an insult to the House and Senate members if they still had to consult the regional wage boards.)
GMA News Online has reached out to the Palace for comment, but it has yet to reply as of posting time.
Long overdue
Jerome Adonis of Kilusang Mayo Uno backed Matula's call and also emphasized that a wage increase has been "long overdue."
'The labor sector has long fought for the P200 wage hike for minimum wage earners, and this is even small compared with the family living wage. Even so, we welcome this increase because this is long overdue. The Senate even passed its version way back in 2024,' Adonis said.
'Dahil dumaan na nga sa mahabang debate sa Kongreso, sa Senado, nag-present na ang both sides ng mga statistics na ito po ay kayang kaya at, in fact, mas maliit pa nga [sa ideal]. So wala nang rason ang presidente para hindi ito pirmahan,' he added.
(This has already been debated in the House, Senate, and both sides have already put forward their points. It has been proven that this is doable, and the proposed amounts are even lower than what is ideal, so the President has no reason not to sign it.)
The House version of the wage hike measure is P200 per day, a higher amount compared to the Senate version, which is just pegged at P100. The House and the Senate will have to reconcile their differing versions and ratify the reconciled version before the 19th Congress ends on June 13 for the bill to be ready for the President's signature.
Veto?
Senator Joel Villanueva on Thursday expressed concern regarding the House of Representatives' approval of the bill and said that it might only get vetoed if adopted by the Senate.
'Parang ang tingin natin 'pag nangyari 'yan, diretsong veto. 'Yan ang kailangan din natin pagtuunan ng pansin kung ia-adopt natin 'yan kasi baka 'yan din 'yung dahilan ng iba na nandun sa Kamara para masiguro na ma-veto 'yan,' Villanueva told reporters.
(I think that it may be directly vetoed by the President. That's what we also need to look at if we are going to adopt that because some House members may just use that to ensure that the bill will get vetoed.)
Adonis, however, believes that this should not be a hindrance.
'Kaya bagaman magkaibang bersyon, sana hindi na siya hadlang at kaagad mag-convene ang bicameral committee ng Senado at Kongreso para i-decide kung magkano talaga... Huwag na nilang paghintayin yung mga manggagawa kasi 36 years tayong naghintay para sa legislative wage increase,' Adonis said.
(So even if the bill has different versions, this should not be a hurdle, and Congress should immediately decide on the final amount and send it to the President for signature. They should not make the workers wait even longer because they have been waiting for this for 36 years.) —VAL, GMA Integrated News
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
8 hours ago
- GMA Network
Retired SC justices sign San Beda statement urging VP Sara Duterte impeachment trial
'There is no sound constitutional and legal basis for any delay in the trial. In fact, an undue delay sends the signal to the nation that mandated processes are thwarted for ulterior ends,' the statement read. Professors at the San Beda University Graduate School of Law have asked the Senate to proceed with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. Among them are retired Supreme Court Associate Justices Adolf Azcuna and Jose Vitug, and graduate school dean Fr. Ranhilio Aquino. Their statement came a day after more than 100 members of the faculty of the University of the Philippines College of Law made a similar call for the Senate to hear the articles of impeachment against the Vice President. 'We, professors of the Graduate School of Law of San Beda University, in our individual capacities, respectfully urge the Senate of the Philippines to proceed with the trial of the Vice President in accordance with Article XI of the Constitution,' the San Beda law professors said in their statement. The members of the faculty said, 'Article XI is clear that when the verified complaint is endorsed by at least one-third of the members of the House of Representatives, trial by the Senate must thereupon proceed.' 'There is no sound constitutional and legal basis for any delay in the trial. In fact, an undue delay sends the signal to the nation that mandated processes are thwarted for ulterior ends,' the statement read. The statement said that accountability is crucial to the workings of a government that should be able to earn the respect and trust of citizens. The trial is a measure of accountability. 'The problem with government, and the resulting lack of public trust in it, has to do with deficits in measures of accountability,' it said. 'We therefore urge the Senate to convene as ordained by the Constitution and to proceed with the impeachment trial of the Vice-President,' it added. On Thursday, over 100 members of the UP College of Law faculty called on the Senate to start the impeachment trial and "let the truth unfold." In an open letter, the faculty members called on the Senate to comply with the constitutional duty to "forthwith proceed" with the trial. "Respectfully, a dismissal at this point would be deemed by the Filipino people as effectively engineered by the Senate's own delay and an abdication of its constitutional role in impeachment," it read. The faculty members also stressed that the 19th Congress should not preempt whether the trial should continue. It said this should be left to the 20th Congress. "For the Senate to decide for the 20th Congress would be undemocratic, contrary to the very rationale underlying the 'non-continuing body' argument," the letter read. The members stressed that a dismissal would mean an abandonment of the Senate's tradition as an august chamber and will alter the country's system of checks and balances. "It will also undermine the people's trust in the Senate as an independent and impartial institution before which the highest officials of the land may demonstrate and prove their fealty to the principles of accountability, public service, and democracy," it said. Section 3(4) of Article XI, which states: In case the verified complaint or resolution of impeachment is filed by at least one-third of all the Members of the House, the same shall constitute the Articles of Impeachment, and trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed. –Jiselle Anne C. Casucian/NB, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
12 hours ago
- GMA Network
Prosecutor says House won't withdraw impeachment raps vs. VP Sara
'Returning it to sender or dismissing the impeachment complaint right away are unconstitutional acts,' Zamora told reporters in an online interview. The House prosecution panel is not considering withdrawing the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte or receiving them in case the Senate returns them to the House of Representatives, San Juan Rep Ysabel Maria Zamora said on Friday. Zamora said these options, as well as outrightly dismissing the impeachment complaint without a trial, are unconstitutional. 'Returning it to sender or dismissing the impeachment complaint right away are unconstitutional acts,' Zamora told reporters in an online interview. 'There's no option for the Senators to dismiss it. There's also no option for the House to withdraw it,' she added, citing the constitutional provision on the Senate impeachment court needing to hear the complaints forthrightly after they had been received. Zamora said the House prosecution panel was focused on preparations for the impeachment trial. She said Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro was assigned to read the articles of impeachment before the Senate on June 11. All 11 House prosecutors will be present. 'We have been preparing for several months, and we are still preparing. In fact, the members of the panel are preparing for our presentation in the Senate. So we are not affected by what's going on in the Senate, the draft resolution, or the comments that we hear from the Senators. We are still continuing to do our job because that is our job under the Constitution. So that is our duty. We have to be ready to present the evidence,' Zamora said. 'Honestly, it is our stand that they have already been convened or constituted as an impeachment court right from the start na nag-transmit tayo ng articles sa kanila,' Zamora said. She also said the House Prosecution Panel talked about the draft resolution prepared by the office of Senator Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa to outrightly dismiss the impeachment complaint. 'We talked about it. We were shocked. But, you know, siguro dahil alam natin na some senators are really openly planning to dismiss or have the impeachment proceedings dismissed right away. Lalo na, alam naman natin si Senator Bato dela Rosa ay very close, isa sa mga bata ng Duterte family. So, you know, they will surely do everything to dismiss, to have it dismissed or to delay the process,' Zamora said. 'The mere fact na nag-draft sila ng isang resolution that openly violates the Constitution is shocking for us,' she added. She also denied Senate President Chiz Escudero's pronouncement that members of the House of Representatives are 'sunud-sunuran' to House Speaker Martin Romualdez. 'Hindi po kami sunud-sunuran kay Speaker. In fact, uulitin po, wala pong naging pilitan sa pagpirma ng impeachment,' Zamora stressed. Zamora also thanked the Catholic Church for its support for the impeachment. The Church has announced it will conduct a vigil at the Senate next week. 'We are very thankful for their support for the impeachment. Like we always say, hindi naman po natin ginagawa to para panigan ang isang party or what but we are doing this as our duty to the nation to protect the Office of the Vice Presidency, the Office of the Vice President,' Zamora said. –NB, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
14 hours ago
- GMA Network
Abolish SHS? Angara says up to Congress to decide
Education Secretary Sonny Angara acknowledged Friday the lapses in the implementation of the senior high school (SHS) curriculum under the K to 12 program, but said that it is up to Congress to determine whether or not it should continue. This, as Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada filed a measure seeking to rationalize the basic education system in the country by removing the SHS, citing reason that it 'still has not fully achieved its goal' to produce skilled and job-ready graduates 12 years after the enactment of Republic Act No. 10533, also known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013. Angara, who served as senator before being appointed as chief of the Department of Education (DepEd), pointed out that the agency is set to implement changes in the SHS this incoming School Year 2025-2026, through the pilot run of the revised SHS curriculum. 'Hindi maganda ang naging implementation nitong nakaraang dekada. Masyadong marami ang subjects at nakahon masyado ang mga bata. Hindi sila nakakapili ng subject/s,' Angara said in a statement. (The SHS' implementation in the last decade has not been good. There were too many subjects and the learners were constrained. They were not able to choose subject/s.) 'Having said that, ang desisyon kung ipagpapatuloy ang SHS o hindi ay Kongreso lamang po ang makakapagsabi at makakapag-pasya,' he added. (Having said that, the decision whether or not to continue SHS is up to the Congress to say and decide on.) The incoming academic year will run from June 16, 2025, and end on March 31, 2026, marking a return to the pre-pandemic school calendar. There are 841 schools set to participate in the pilot run of the revised SHS curriculum, which underwent extensive review and consultation from education stakeholders, in School Year 2025-2026. Based on the initial results of the pilot, the Education Department will announce if all senior high schools will subsequently be required to implement the new curriculum by SY 2026-2027. 'Shorten college education' For Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, the proposal to streamline general education subjects must also fulfill the promise made with the K-12 program—that additional years in high school would shorten college education. 'While policy decisions rest with the DepEd and CHED, college curricula must avoid duplication so students can focus on their specialization and graduate in less than four years,' Gatchalian said. 'They should not bear the burden of extra semesters simply because the original intent of the K-12 reform—made 12 years ago—has yet to be fully realized,' he continued. Under Senate Bill No. 3001, Estrada seeks to retain the fundamental principles of RA 10533, sans the SHS level, in a bid 'to simplify the high school system while still making sure students get quality education that meets global standards.' He recommended a one-year kindergarten education, followed by six years of elementary education, and four years of secondary education. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
