HOUSE members acknowledged on Wednesday the need to exercise prudence regarding proposals to raise the minimum wage for workers in the private sector.
In a press briefing, House Deputy Majority Leader and Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali Gonzales II said that a thorough study should be done on the implications of a legislated wage increase.
“There is a need to balance between the wage earners and employers that in so far as the legislated wage hike is concerned, I don’t want to sound a party popper, pero I would take refuge on the famous words of the late Inday Badiday, ‘careful, careful’. The worst that can happen is to give too much hope on our workers na hindi naman kakayanin. Alam naman natin, you have to strike a balance between yung sumusweldo at saka dun sa nagpapasweldo. It’s not as easy as it looks,” Gonzales said.
A minimum wage hike should also not lead to layoffs, according to the lawmaker.
“So meaning, on the part of the laborers who would like to have a wage increase, they should also be prepared na may mga kumpanya na hindi makakayanan (ang wage hike). Kaya there should be a balance. Kaya nga sabi ko “careful, careful” kasi the worst that can happen baka ang mangyayari, ayaw ko naman sabihin baka magpa-pogihan ang Senate at saka House eh P100 kayo P300 kami….. hindi P300 sila P400 na tayo, Pataasan nalang ang mangyayari, unmindful of the fact that at the end of the day wala tayong ma-aprubahan dahil kasi magiging prohibitive na nga,” Gonzales said.
ANAKALUSUGAN Party-list Rep. Ray Reyes pointed out how most of the MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), based on street surveys, will be able to tolerate a certain amount.
“Ang tingin po namin is we could do one better than the P100. We are looking at around P150 to P350. We have to test where the balance point is, para dito sa wage hike po natin. Alam naman po natin na tumataas ang mga presyo ng bilihin and marami din naman tayong pagkakagastusan. We could do it better. Hindi lang wage hike ang titingnan po natin dito, kasi ang mahalaga po hindi yung gaano kalaki yung sweldo, kundi kung gaano kalaki ang naiipon natin pag natapos nating bayaran yung mga gastusin natin.,” Reyes said.
Davao Oriental Rep. Cheeno Miguel Almario stressed that the House is not against the wage hike increase.
“If anything, we welcome that kind of initiative because we see that there is also a need for the Filipino people, or especially those low income earners to get also additional pay or at least in the case of what was said, to be able to get more after all the necessary expenditures,” he said.
