The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) is calling on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to prioritize the welfare of workers and certify the proposed ₱200 legislated minimum wage hike as urgent, setting aside ongoing political tensions.
Amid intensifying political issues, TUCP reminded the President that workers continue to struggle with poverty, contractual jobs, and inadequate wages — problems that persist regardless of political affiliations.
“Elections are supposed to offer solutions on issues confronting marginalized sectors of our society, particularly poverty and ENDO work schemes that push workers to ‘kapit sa patalim’ situation where they are left scraping the bottom of the barrel for subsistence survival,” the labor group said in an Inquirer.net report.
TUCP emphasized that the wage hike would be a meaningful step toward a “Bagong Pilipinas” that truly supports its labor force.
“TUCP calls on President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos, Jr., as the father of the nation, to rise above current political distractions and unfurl a Bagong Pilipinas policy of caring for its workers by certifying the ₱200 legislated wage hike as an urgent priority measure,” it added.
A consolidated bill proposing the increase, approved on second reading in February, has yet to reach third reading due to procedural timing. Congress will resume session on June 2 before a scheduled adjournment on June 13.
Despite recent political friction — particularly surrounding the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte by the ICC — TUCP did not delve into the controversy, instead redirecting focus to the struggles of ordinary Filipinos.
“Emotions fanned by social media are running high, but sadly, it has not been about the dire situation of Filipino workers and their families… Has the political climate made our society too jaded to poverty and the daily sufferings of our people?” TUCP said.
Rizal Representative Juan Fidel Felipe Nograles, who chairs the House labor committee, remains hopeful that there’s still time to push the bill through final reading and reconcile it with the Senate version before the 19th Congress closes.
