BACOLOD City – The General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA) in Negros Occidental is urging the government to grant a P50 per day emergency relief allowance (ERA) for workers in Western Visayas amid rising costs of living.
GAWA Secretary General Wennie Sancho said the call for an ERA is necessary following Congress’ failure to pass the proposed P200 legislated wage hike. He said this measure would provide immediate economic relief to workers grappling with financial strain.
“With the unprecedented increase in the prices of petroleum products, the costs of basic goods and services have also skyrocketed. Workers and their families are struggling to make ends meet with their current salaries,” Sancho said.
He added that the Philippines, as an oil-importing country, is vulnerable to global oil market fluctuations. GAWA also expressed concern that the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict may negatively affect remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle East.
Sancho urged the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Western Visayas to act swiftly in addressing the financial burden on workers.
“The best the wage board can do at this point is to issue a wage order in the form of an emergency relief allowance to shield the workers’ purchasing power from further erosion,” he said.
According to Sancho, the extraordinary spike in fuel and commodity prices constitutes a “supervening condition” that justifies the issuance of a new wage order — even without a formal petition or regardless of the one-year prohibition on wage adjustments.
He also called for the RTWPB to convene immediately and conduct a motu proprio (on its own initiative) review of the existing wage order to assess the need for a timely adjustment.
The current minimum wage in Western Visayas ranges from P450 to P500 per day. As of October 2024, more than 193,000 minimum wage earners in the region directly benefit from wage increases or ERAs, while over 300,000 workers earning above the minimum wage are indirectly affected by such economic measures.
GAWA emphasized that any form of assistance granted — whether a wage hike or ERA — should be no less than P50 per day.
“If a wage increase is granted later on, the P50 ERA should be integrated into the workers’ existing salaries,” Sancho said.
He stressed that granting the P50 ERA as soon as possible would be a clear manifestation of the government’s concern for workers, who are the “primary socioeconomic force” driving the nation’s industries.
“We call on the authorities to heed the voice of the working class, especially those in the private sector, during these difficult and trying times,” Sancho appealed./PN
