THE House last Monday transmitted to the Senate the House-approved bill seeking a P200 daily minimum wage hike for private sector workers, which is now up for bicameral deliberations between congressmen and senators, its spokesman Princess Abante said yesterday.
“Na-transmit na siya sa Senado kahapon at meron na ring naipasa na mga pangalan para maging representante ng Kamara para sa bicameral conference (It was already transmitted to Senate yesterday and there were also names submitted to represent the House in the bicameral conference),” Abante told a press conference.
Abante, a lawyer and daughter of outgoing Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., said the House is prepared to stand by its version of the bill since the Senate is only proposing a P100 wage increase.
“Patuloy po na maninindigan ang Kamara na ang House version ang mas makakabuti para sa ating mamamayan (The House will maintain that its version of the bill will be better for our people),” she said.
The House earlier approved House Bill (HB) No. 11376 or the “Wage Hike for Minimum Wage Workers Act,” on third and final reading with an overwhelming vote of 171 in favor, one against and no abstentions.
While it will do its best to push for the House version, Abante said the House respects the deliberative process of both chambers in reconciling differences in the final version of the wage hike bill.
Also yesterday, Abante reported that the House of Representatives in the 19th Congress recorded one of the most productive sessions in history, with a total of 13,867 measures filed and 280 laws enacted under the leadership of Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
“For the 19th Congress under the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez, I’m happy to report that the House of Representatives is now one of the most productive Congresses in history,” Abante said.
Abante said a total of 11,506 House bills and 2,361 resolutions were filed in the 19th Congress, adding that out of the figure, 347 resolutions were adopted, and 1,493 measures were approved by the House, of which 280 became laws.
The House has also already approved on final reading 27 of the 28 priority bills of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) on top of the 61 out of 64 measures under the broader Common Legislative Agenda (CLA).
Unfortunately, Abante lamented that 739 bills are still pending before the Senate for approval on third reading. “These are not ordinary bills – they are urgent reforms sought by sectors across the country. They are solutions to the most pressing challenges faced by Filipino families, workers, students, seniors and OFWs,” she said.
The bills include important measures such as the Universal Social Pension for All Senior Citizens and Expanded Employment Opportunities for Seniors, the Magna Carta for Informal Ambulant Vendors, which aims to protect small livelihoods nationwide.
EMPLOYERS SLAMMED
As the wage hike bill continues to hang in the balance, the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition (NAGKAISA) scored employers for making last-minute efforts to block the measure.
In a statement, NAGKAISA lamented that employers continue to oppose the law that will provide salary adjustments to workers.
“They’ve simply recycled the same tired scare tactics – this time wrapped in pseudo-scientific jargon and dressed up as ‘economic modeling,’” said NAGKAISA.
“Where were these numbers during the months of public hearings in Congress? Nowhere. Suddenly they appear, just in time to sabotage the people’s demand for wage justice,” it added.
The labor sector called on lawmakers to stand firm in their push for a law granting a salary increase.
It said workers have waited long enough for a substantial wage adjustment to be granted.
“For far too long, workers have endured soaring prices, stagnating wages, and broken promises from both employers and the government. The wage hike is long overdue!” it said.
“It’s not charity – it’s justice. It’s not inflationary – it’s humane. It won’t crash the economy – it will lift millions out of poverty and fuel real growth from the bottom up… stand with the people who build this country every single day,” added NAGKAISA. – With Gerard Naval
