Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles has expressed belief that the government should “aggressively move” to bring down the cost of basic goods to complement a wage hike.
“Our efforts to improve workers’ quality of life should not stop with a wage hike. We also need to aggressively move to lessen the cost of commodities to increase workers’ purchasing power,” said Nograles, chairman of the Committee on Labor and Employment.
Nograles issued his observation after the regional wage board approved a P40-minimum wage increase in the National Capital Region, which takes effect on July 16.
This brings the daily minimum wage rate in Metro Manila to P610 from the existing P570.
There are also ten other wage hike petitions that are pending with various Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs), the Department of Labor and Employment announced in May.
Nograles hailed the wage increase even as he admitted that the workers might consider it a pittance considering the soaring prices of goods.
This is why parallel efforts should be implemented in the agriculture and transport sectors so that workers pay less for food and transportation, the lawmaker said.
“We need to have a balanced response to the issues that our workers face. Hindi lang wage increase ang solusyon. Kailangan din nating ayusin nang sabay ang problema sa agrikultura at transportasyon para mas malaki ang take-home pay ng mga kababayan natin,” said Nograles.
Nograles expressed optimism that the Marcos administration “also recognizes these issues and is exerting great effort to to address them.”
He also vowed that Congress would continue deliberating on the various proposals to increase wages when session resumes this month.