Lawmakers refile bill proposing P1,200 daily min wage

Makabayan bloc lawmakers Antonio Tinio and Renee Co refiled a bill proposing a national daily minimum wage of P1,200 in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The lawmakers argue that the current regional wage board system has led to poverty-level wages for workers over the past 30 years, according to an IBON Foundation study.

House Bill 2599 seeks to abolish the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board and establish a National Wages and Productivity Board instead, amending Article 99 of the Labor Code.

The bill also proposes stiffer penalties for companies that do not follow the national minimum wage, including fines or imprisonment, suspension of business permits for second-time offenders, and revocation for third-time violators.

While no proposals for a legislated wage hike were mentioned in the President's State of the Nation Address, Tinio stressed there is public clamor for these bills despite the administration's reluctance to implement substantial wage increases.