Senate OKs debate on P100 daily min wage hike for 4.2M workers

A bill proposing a daily minimum wage increase of P100 for private sector workers has reached the plenary pending debates.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada, chairperson of the Senate labor committee, sponsored Senate Bill No. 2534 during Wednesday's plenary session to help alleviate the burden on Filipinos due to rising costs and would affect around 4.2 million minimum wage earners.

Senator Christopher 'Bong' Go co-sponsored SB No. 2534 highlighting the need to uplift living standards of ordinary Filipino workers, especially in light of economic setbacks caused by the pandemic and inflation.

Go emphasized that a survey conducted from September to October last year revealed around 13.2 million families consider themselves poor, stressing the urgency of addressing poverty and economic disparity.

The bill aims to provide a P100 daily increase for all employees in the private sector across the country, aligning with recent regional wage board hikes from P30 to P89 per day.

Senator Regina 'Loren' Legarda also co-sponsored the bill stating that increased wages will enable workers to be more productive and contribute positively to the economy.