Hontiveros: 20th Congress to push wage hike bill anew

Metro Manila, Philippines - A new wage hike bill will be filed in the 20th Congress and may be passed into law faster than the last failed proposal, Senator Risa Hontiveros said on Saturday.

This comes after the Senate and the House of Representatives pointed fingers at each other after failing to pass the daily wage hike bill as the 19th Congress adjourned its last regular session on June 11.

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

In an interview on Saturday, June 14, Hontiveros said the upcoming Congress’ Senate may push for a higher proposal than just a ₱100 hike.

“Posibleng mas mataas pa kasi bagong kongreso naman, bagong filing,” the lawmaker said.

“Nandoon na sa pintuan ng [bicameral committee]. Ang tradisyon sa Senado ay usually mas mabilis nang nai-susulong ‘yan. Kaya talagang gagawin ko, gagawin namin, ang lahat para maaga ma-aprubahan na,” she added.

[Translation: It's possible that it's even higher because it's a new congress, a new filing…It's already at the door of the bicameral committee. The tradition in the Senate is usually to advance it more quickly. So I will do, we will do, everything to get it approved early.]

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.