BACOLOD City — A labor organization in Negros Occidental is urging the government to grant an emergency relief allowance (ERA) to workers, citing a sharp decline in purchasing power due to rising inflation and global economic pressures.
In a statement, Wennie Sancho, secretary general of the General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA), called on authorities to adopt immediate measures to cushion workers from the impact of increasing prices.
GAWA said that as of February 2026, inflation has significantly eroded the real value of wages in the region. While the nominal daily minimum wage for commercial and industrial workers stands at P550, its effective value has dropped to around P419 due to the rising cost of basic goods and services.
This translates to an estimated daily loss of P131, or roughly P3,400 per month, the group said. A worker earning about P14,300 monthly effectively takes home only around P10,900 in real terms.
“This alarming situation demands urgent government intervention,” Sancho said. “Workers are struggling to make ends meet, and it is high time to provide meaningful relief,” he added.
GAWA is urging the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Western Visayas (RTWPB-6) to approve, on its own initiative, a P200 daily ERA for workers in the region, noting that there is still no operational regional wage board for the Negros Island Region (NIR).
The proposed allowance, the group said, would help restore lost purchasing power and ease the financial burden on households grappling with the rising cost of living.
“We are not asking for charity, but for a just and fair measure to help workers cope,” Sancho said.
The group also pointed to external factors, including tensions in the Middle East, as contributing to higher fuel and commodity prices that ripple through the local economy.
GAWA, which represents thousands of workers across Western Visayas, stressed that without immediate intervention, more families could struggle to afford basic necessities such as food, transportation, and housing.
The organization called on the government to prioritize worker welfare and implement responsive policies that address inflation’s impact on wages.
“Granting an emergency relief allowance is a necessary step to mitigate the effects of inflation,” Sancho said, “and to ensure that workers can maintain a decent standard of living.”
GAWA said it remains committed to advocating policies that protect workers’ rights and economic well-being as cost-of-living pressures persist./PN
