WORKERS all over the country yesterday reiterated their call for decent wages, stressing that the labor sector needs the government to act now.
Thousands of Filipino workers rallied in the streets of Manila, Baguio City, Pampanga, Laguna, Iloilo, Cebu, and Davao, calling for the government to set decent wages for workers.
“We call for a daily minimum wage set at P1,200, which the IBON Foundation computed as the necessary requirement to feed, clothe, and shelter a family of five,” the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said in a statement.
“Such an increase is an urgent, necessary, and just measure,” it added.
The labor group said it was not impressed with the Labor Day “publicity stunts” of the Marcos administration, such as free train rides and job fairs.
“What we need is an efficient public transportation system, sufficient wages for our families, and safe and decent jobs,” the group said.
“The government should heed our demands, not turn us into props for its political charade,” added KMU.
With the midterm polls just days away, the labor sector called on all candidates to push for advocacies that would benefit the workers.
KMU also urged workers to go for candidates who genuinely care for their sector.
“We challenge candidates in the midterm elections to adopt the living wage as a priority policy agenda,” it said.
“We enjoin all workers to vote for the politics of change in this midterm election,” added KMU.
THE PNP said it monitored 26 Labor Day protests, with PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo saying 11 were monitored in Calabarzon.
Protests were also monitored in other areas, including seven in the National Capital Region (NCR) and three in Central Visayas.
Citing information as of noon yesterday, Fajardo said 62,448 policemen were deployed throughout the country to ensure peace and order.
“We monitored 26 rallies nationwide. Many of these were in Region 4-A or Calabarzon, next is NCR with 11 and Region 7 (Central Visayas) with three,” said Fajardo.
“So far, the rallies are relatively peaceful,” she said.
“Hopefully, these will end without any untoward incident that would disrupt the celebration of Labor Day,” she added.
JOB FAIRS
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) expressed the hope that a quarter of job seekers who participated in the Labor Day job fairs nationwide would be hired on the spot (HOTS).
In an interview at the sidelines of the 2025 Labor Day celebration in Pasay City, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said: “My prayer and desire is that hopefully we will see that more than half of the job seekers will be hired. Realistically, we hope job seekers will get lucky and about 25 to 30 percent are hired on the spot.
“And we have directed our regional offices to follow up on the near hires and help them complete their requirements,” he also said.
Yesterday, the DOLE held job fairs in 69 sites across different regions. Around 250,000 job vacancies were offered by some 2,500 participating employers.
EDP DEPLOYMENT
The Eastern police district (EPD) deployed 1,679 personnel to guarantee the safety and security of the community in its jurisdiction yesterday.
Brig. Gen. Aden Lagradante, EPD officer-in-charge, directed the officers of Pasig, Mandaluyong, Marikina and San Juan City Police Stations and DMFB to conduct aggressive information drive on the modus operandi of criminals in their respective areas to raise public awareness and prevent the occurrence of rampant crimes.
“It is our mandate to perform our jobs with strict observance of the rule of law and respect for human rights,” Lagradante said. – With Victor Reyes, Gerard Naval and Christian Oineza
