Senate 'killed' wage hike bill, says House spokesperson
'Let's not sugarcoat it—the Senate killed the P200 wage hike bill. Last night was the final session of the 19th Congress. No bicam, no compromise, no wage hike,' Abante said.
A spokesperson for the House of Representatives on Thursday blamed the Senate for the failure of the 19th Congress to pass a legislated wage hike despite passage of the measure in both houses.
In a video message, House spokesperson Atty. Princess Abante claimed that the Senate 'killed' the House bill that would grant a P200 wage hike, which was approved by the lower chamber on third and final reading last Wednesday, June 4.
The Senate passed a P100 wage hike law more than a year earlier in February 2024.
'Let's not sugarcoat it—the Senate killed the P200 wage hike bill. Last night was the final session of the 19th Congress. No bicam, no compromise, no wage hike,' Abante said.
'And the reason is simple—ayaw ng Senado makipag-usap. Ang gusto nila, tanggapin na lang ng tao ang P100 nila. Bakit? Bakit binabarya ng Senado ang mga manggagawa?'
(And the reason is simple—the Senate does not want to talk about it. What they want is for the people to accept their P100 wage hike version. Why is the Senate being stingy to the workers?)
The 19th Congress adjourned sine die on Wednesday night.
The legislated increase in the minimum wage needs to be refiled and again go through the legislative process in the 20th Congress.
Sen. Joel Villanueva, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, wrote the House a letter and asked that it adopt Senate Bill No. 2534, or the "P100 Daily Minimum Wage Increase Act of 2024," as approved by the Senate on third reading in February 2024, in substitution of House Bill No. 11376, as approved by the House on third reading on June 4.
Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles, the chairman of the House Committee on Labor on Employment, in a letter addressed to Villanueva, asked for the immediate convening of the bicameral conference committee on June 11 to reconcile both versions of the wage hike bill before the 19th Congress adjourns sine die.
'The House strongly prefers a transparent and deliberative bicameral process, rather than being bamboozled into accepting the Senate version wholesale, without discussion or compromise,' Nograles said.
Abante said the bicam conferees from the House were 'ready to sit down, they were ready to defend the P200 proposal, and fight for labor, only to find out that the Senate had no intention of meeting at all.'
'We were ready to deliberate. We came in good faith. But what the Senate gave us was a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum. Wala silang balak makipag-usap. Ang gusto nila, susunod lang kami sa gusto nila. [The Senate had no intention to talk with us, what they wanted was for us to follow what they wanted]. That's not how democracy works,' the House spokesperson said.
She also maintained that the House bill was not a reckless proposal, but a 'responsible, well-considered measure.'
'But instead of a dialogue, ang binalik sa amin ay tahimik na pagtanggi at pagmamadali. The people deserve accountability. Hindi ito pagkukulang ng Kamara. Ginawa namin ang aming trabaho namin, pero ang Senado, iniwan sa ere ang manggagawa,' Abante continued.
(But instead of a dialogue, the Senate gave us silence and haste. The people deserve accountability. This is not a shortcoming of the House. We did our job, but the Senate left the workers hanging.)
GMA News Online sought a comment from Villanueva and Senate President Francis 'Chiz' Escudero regarding the matter, and will update this story once they respond.
In an earlier interview, Escudero compared the House's wage hike bill to its transmittal of the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.
"'Yong impeachment pinadala niyo huling araw na lang ng sesyon namin, ito gan'on din huling mga araw ng mga sesyon naming tapos ayan na naman kayo, mamadaliin niyo na naman kami na parang kami ang may kasalanan," Escudero said.
"Pinasa naming itong wage hike na one hundred pesos January o February 2024, mahigit isang taon nilang inupuan ito. Tapos bigla ngayon sila 'yong gigil na gigil at nagmamadali. May proseso kung gusto Talaga nilang i-adopt 'yong bersyon ng Senado. Simpleng mosyon 'yan sa Plenaryo ng Kamara," he added.
(You sent the impeachment on the last day of the session. In this case, you sent the wage hike bill in the last few days of the session and again want us to hurry, making it appear that it is our fault. We passed the P100 wage hike in January or February 2024, and they sat on the measure for more than. a year. And now they are pressing us to move in a hurry. If they want to adopt the Senate version, all it takes is a motion in the House plenary.)
Villanueva had expressed concern regarding the House's version of the bill as it might get vetoed by President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. if adopted by the Senate.
Malacañang said President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will look into the economic implications of the proposed increase in the minimum wage.
Escudero said on Monday that the measures seeking an increase in the daily minimum wage of workers is not a priority of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). –NB, GMA Integrated News
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