Senate, House point fingers on failed wage hike bill

Metro Manila, Philippines - The Senate and the House of Representatives pointed fingers at each other on the failed wage hike bill as the 19th Congress adjourned its last regular session on Wednesday, June 11.

The House on Thursday, June 12, blamed the Senate for supposedly refusing to discuss the measure in a bicameral conference committee, in which members of both chambers will reconcile the differing provisions on their bill versions.

The Senate’s bill seeks an additional ₱100 in the minimum wage while that of the House pushes for ₱200.

“Let’s not sugarcoat it — the Senate killed the ₱200 wage hike bill,” House spokesperson Princess Abante said. “Gusto nila, tanggapin na lang nang buo ang ₱100 nila. Bakit? Bakit binabarya ng Senado ang mga manggagawa?”

[Translation: They want us to accept their proposal of ₱100 hike. Why? Why does the Senate haggle for a low amount for workers?]

Abante added that House representatives delegated in the bicameral conference committee were ready to defend the higher proposal, which included safety nets for micro, small, and medium enterprises.

“What the Senate gave us was a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum,” she said.

Senator Joel Villanueva, the chamber’s labor committee chairman, earlier said time was not on the side of the bicameral conference committee, noting that the House transmitted its version on June 9.

He had called on the House to adopt the Senate version to skip the bicameral conference committee discussion and send the measure straight to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for signing.

“May impeachment ka, may CA (Commission on Appointments) ka, chair nga ako ng housing,” the senator said on June 10, a day before the sine die adjournment.

[Translation: We handle the impeachment, CA, and I’m even the chair of the housing committee.]

“Unfortunately, parang nasasanay ‘yung House na magpasa ng bola sa ’min ‘pag segundo na lang ‘yung nalalabi,” Villanueva said.

[Translation: Unfortunately, the House gets used to passing the ball to us when only a second is left.]

The current minimum wage in Metro Manila is ₱645 for non-agriculture workers and ₱608 for those in the sectors of agriculture, service and retail establishments employing up to 15 workers, and manufacturing regularly employing up to 10 workers. The pay is lower in the provinces.

The last legislated wage hike was in 1989 when the system of regional wage setting became law.