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.
“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.
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).
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