Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 28) — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the government will distribute ₱1.8 billion worth of financial assistance to workers on Labor Day as wage hike petitions remain under review.
In a public briefing on Thursday, DOLE Undersecretary Benjo Santos Benavidez said their cash-for-work program “TUPAD” will grant ₱100 million worth of salaries to qualified beneficiaries. He also said the agency will release around ₱50 million for livelihood assistance to workers nationwide.
Meanwhile, Benavidez noted that there are currently eight petitions filed across regions calling for an increase in the minimum wage of workers in the country.
“Hinahayaan namin yung proseso ay mekanismo para makapaghanda kung mayroong kailangang rebisahin sa mga umiiral na minimum wage sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng bansa,” he said.
[Translation: We let the process be a mechanism to prepare if there is a need to revise the existing minimum wages in different parts of the country.]
Last month, more than 20 labor groups and unions filed a petition before the Regional Wage Board for a ₱530 peso increase on the minimum wage in Metro Manila.
WATCH: Over 20 labor groups seek ₱530 wage hike in Metro Manila
The current minimum wage of workers in National Capital Region (NCR) is at ₱570 and ₱533 for non-agriculture and agriculture sectors, respectively. A ₱33 daily basic wage increase was granted last May 2022.
But according to think tank IBON Foundation, the estimated family living wage in NCR is ₱1,161 per day. The research group said there is a wage gap of 50.9% or ₱591.
On Tuesday, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) staged a protest in front of the House of Representatives in a bid for Congress to act on numerous pending wage hike bills.
The ACT said that there are 58 bills in the lower house and 21 in the Senate seeking to increase the wages and salaries of workers and employees both in the public and private sectors.
The Kilusang Mayo Uno on Wednesday also said it expects around 10,000 people from the labor sector to participate in a massive protest rally on Labor Day.
