With just days left before the 19th Congress concludes, the House of Representatives has approved on final reading a bill that would raise the daily minimum wage for private sector workers by P200—marking what could be the first legislated wage increase in over 30 years.
House Bill No. 11376, also known as the Wage Hike for Minimum Wage Workers Act, was passed with an overwhelming vote of 171 in favor, one against, and no abstentions during the chamber’s plenary session on Wednesday.
The proposal, which covers all private sector workers regardless of employment status, is seen by its backers as a long-overdue response to the widening gap between earnings and the cost of living.
Akbayan Party-list Representative Perci Cendaña reminded his colleagues that the last legislated wage increase was enacted in 1989. He emphasized that this step—though overdue—marks the beginning of a broader push for wage reform. “This is a lifeline for workers who are drowning amid the high prices of goods, petroleum, water, and electricity,” he said. “This legislative breakthrough sends a strong message that Filipino workers deserve to live a life of comfort and dignity.”
Gabriela Representative Arlene Brosas echoed this sentiment, describing the bill as a way to “break the long years of legislative inaction.” She added, “While P200 is still insufficient to achieve living wage, this is still a significant step toward championing wage hikes in this hallowed hall.”
Cibac Representative Eddie Villanueva, one of the principal authors of the bill, also linked the wage hike to broader societal benefits. “Every Filipino employee’s dignity must be upheld by ensuring that they are given not only what is just but what is humane,” he said, calling the bill “a moral step toward fairness in the face of rising prices and stagnant wages.”
Still, the future of the measure remains uncertain. It must now pass through the Senate, which earlier approved a more modest P100 daily wage hike. A bicameral conference committee will be needed to reconcile the differences before the bill can be sent to Malacañang for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s signature.
With Congress set to adjourn on June 13, Cendaña urged senators to act swiftly. “We challenge our counterparts in the Senate to agree with this measure and give Filipino workers the long-awaited relief they deserve,” he said.
