MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is not against the proposed P200 increase in the salary of minimum wage earners in the private sector, Malacañang stressed.
According to Presidential Communications Office’s Undersecretary Claire Castro, however, the Chief Executive is leaving it to Congress to agree on their proposed wage hike bill.
“Hayaan na lang po muna natin ang usapin na iyan sa Kongreso at ang Pangulo naman po ay hindi tutol sa wage hike dahil ito po naman ay makabubuti sa mga manggagawa,” Castro said.
Castro’s remark came after the Kabataan party-list claimed that President Marcos is the “real killer” of the wage hike bill as he did not certify it as an urgent measure.
Castro added that while the passage of the wage hike bill remains pending, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards continue to look into the feasibility of raising workers’ salary in each region.
“Sa ngayon po, meron po tayong process at tatandaan niyo po, taun-taon po ay inaaral po ito ng Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board at sa bawat rehiyon, sa bawat lugar ay nagkakaroon po ng increase ng mga sweldo or sahod ang ating mga kababayan,” Castro said.
The proposed wage hike for workers in the private sector hit a snag after the 19th Congress adjourned without a reconciled version from both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
In a joint position paper submitted to Marcos, the country’s economic managers have warned of the “dangerous” repercussions of the proposed across-the-board minimum wage hike in the private sector, saying the plan could hurt the economy, raise inflation, and affect employment./PN
