House, Senate blame each other for wage hike bill failure

House spokesperson Atty. Princess Abante accused the Senate of "killing" the proposed P200 minimum wage hike bill, stating that senators refused to convene a bicameral conference committee.

The Senate approved a P100 wage hike law in February 2024, while the House approved a P200 increase on June 4, 2025.

Senator Joel Villanueva stated that the House "set the stage" for the wage hike bill's failure by transmitting its P200 version only on June 11, the last day of the session.

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero pushed back against the "killing" accusation, saying the House had over a year to act on the bill but waited until the final days of the session.

Escudero added that if the House wanted to adopt the Senate version, it only needed to manifest this in plenary.

Villanueva confirmed that House leaders had previously told Senate leaders they were amenable to adopting the Senate version.

The Philippine Congress adjourned without approving the P200 wage hike bill, meaning it will need to be refiled in the 20th Congress.