Villanueva: P35 daily wage hike not enough to make ends meet

SEN. Joel Villanueva yesterday said he will push for the swift passage of Senate Bill No. 2140 or an Act Establishing the Standards for a Living Wage when Congress resumes regular session on July 22.

Villanueva said while the P35 daily minimum wage increase for workers in Metro Manila has been approved by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board, it is not enough to make both ends due to the rising inflation rate in the country.

“This is the reason why we are pushing for the inclusion of a standard living wage which will be the basis in approving minimum wages in accordance with our Constitution),” he said.

“As your new chairman of the Committee on Labor, I will give priority to the passage of Senate Bill No. 2140 when Congress resumes regular sessions,” he added.

SB No. 2140 is still pending at the committee level.

Filed on May 2023, SB No. 2140 wants to set a living wage so that workers can earn enough to maintain a decent quality of living and keep their families out of poverty.

“Nonetheless, the minimum wage rate is still well below the living wage. According to a study by the IBON Foundation, the living wage of a family of five in the National Capital Region is P1,161 per day as of February 2023. This means that a family should earn P25,248 monthly in order to live decently,” Villanueva said in the proposed measure’s explanatory note.

The bill seeks to amend Article 124 of Presidential Decree no. 442 or the Labor Code of the Philippines. More specifically, it provides that regional minimum wages must meet the living wage standards in the region to ensure the nourishment, clothing, shelter, and general well-being of the employees and their families.