DOLE warns of price hikes amid possible P100 minimum wage increase ---By JOVILAND RITA, GMA Integrated News

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday warned of possible increase in the prices of basic goods and services amid the possible P100 legislated hike in daily minimum wage. DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said that while he agrees that wage hike will increase the purchasing power of workers, he warned that it may also have an impact on micro and small businesses. “Alam po natin na karamihan ng ating mga negosyante, nandoon sa maliliit na kategorya. Subalit meron po sigurong kakayanin, meron ding hindi kakayanin,” he told Unang Balita in an interview. (We know that most of our businesses are under micro and small categories. But there are probably businesses that can handle the wage hike but some cannot.) “Kapag merong pag-uusap tungkol sa pagtaas ng suweldo, medyo nakakaramdam na po tayo ng pagtaas ng presyo ng pangunahing bilihin. Iyon pong may kinalaman sa transport. So para pong ano 'yan chain reaction. Kaya ang lagi naman pong tinatanaw ng DOLE sana mabalanse,” he added. (When there is talk about salary increases, we feel a little bit of increase in the prices of basic goods and also of transport services. It is like a chain reaction. That's why the DOLE is always looking for a balance.) In line with this, Laguesma said the DOLE is looking for possible interventions to help micro and small businesses in case the minimum wage increases by P100. He said these interventions will also ensure that workers will remain employed despite the financial impact of the wage increase on their employers. There are over 4 million minimum wage earners in the country, Laguesma said, citing the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). ‘No capacity’ For his part, ECOP president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said micro businesses do not have the capacity to follow the proposed minimum wage. “Hindi makakasunod yung mga micro and dagdagan mo ng P100, 15% to 30% i-increase (The micro businesses can't keep up because they will add P100, which is 15% to 30% increase),” he told Dobol B TV in an interview. “Anong palagay mo mangyayari sa 90% na yun? Kalahati noong noong pandemya nagsara, yung iba naghihintay magbukas ay ayaw na,” he added. (What do you think will happen to that 90%? Half of them have already closed during the pandemic, while others who are planning to reopen will not reopen anymore.) The ECOP president pointed out that even without the intervention of the Senate, regional wage boards are already working and reviewing minimum wages annually. On Monday, the Senate approved on third and final reading a bill increasing the daily minimum wage of workers in the private sector by P100. Senate Bill 2534 or “An Act Providing for a 100 Pesos Daily Minimum Wage Increase for Employees and Workers in the Private Sector" garnered 20 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and zero abstention. The wage hike likewise excludes establishments with less than 10 employees, establishments utilizing a capital of P3 million and below, and establishments registered under Republic Act 9178. The current daily minimum wage in the National Capital Region is at P610. —KBK/RSJ, GMA Integrated News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more