LIVING WAGE, NOT ‘LIBING’ WAGE: Workers slam ‘horror’ of low wage hike in Western Visayas

By Juliane Judilla

Labor groups in Western Visayas have condemned the newly approved PHP 37–PHP 45 wage increase as “an insult” to workers, calling it a cruel reminder of the widening gap between economic growth and workers’ survival.

United Labor–Panay, a regional workers’ alliance, denounced the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region VI’s announcement of the adjustment, branding it “a mockery of workers’ dignity.”

“This PHP 37 increase cannot even buy a kilo of rice,” said Mario Andon, United Labor Panay spokesperson.

The group said the increase, far below its proposed PHP 200 daily hike, only worsens what it described as the “horror” of living on “scraps” while prices of basic goods continue to soar.

United Labor likened workers’ situation to a recurring nightmare that plays out every payday, arguing that government wage policies have kept millions of Filipinos in “a state of perpetual poverty.”

According to the group’s analysis, the current PHP 550 daily minimum wage in Western Visayas has a real value of only PHP 435 after adjusting for inflation, leaving workers short by PHP 115 per day.

“True to being servants of foreign capital, Malacañang is keeping wages to the barest minimum,” United Labor said, accusing the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of favoring foreign investors and large corporations over Filipino laborers.

The group cited Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showing that the poverty threshold in Western Visayas is PHP 13,801 per month.

With the new wage order, a worker earning PHP 550 daily would bring home around PHP 14,300 per month — only PHP 499 above the poverty line, or roughly PHP 16 a day for a family’s needs.

“We wonder then, how could workers save for the future of their children?” United Labor asked.

The alliance urged the government to provide stronger support for small and medium enterprises so they can afford to pay workers fair wages.

Among its proposals are tax incentives, low-interest credit, affordable electricity and water rates, and protection from unfair competition with large corporations and imported products.

United Labor reiterated its call for a PHP 1,200 national living wage, either through congressional action or a presidential executive order.

It also called on trade unions nationwide to intensify collective bargaining and push for a comprehensive wage reform agenda.

“Wages should, at the minimum, give us basic human dignity,” Andon said.

“It is also basic humanity — to have others, especially those who are breaking their backs shedding sweat and blood, to have a proper share in the wealth they have created,” the group added.

“This dominant truth should not be a compromise; it should be established and put into stone, practiced if we want to move forward as a nation for all and not merely for the fortunate few.”