Marcos asked to certify wage hike bill as urgent
HOUSE Labor and Employment Committee chairman, and Rizal 4th District Rep. Fidel Nograles called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to certify as urgent the measure proposing a P200 wage hike. "I believe we are now at the point where we need executive action. We are past the need for reviews from the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board, rather, what the people need is for President Marcos to certify as urgent the proposed wage hike. We are appealing to the president that our countrymen need the salary increase," Nograles said. The lawmaker issued the statement after Palace Press Officer Clarissa Castro said that regional wage boards were instructed by Marcos to review workers' salaries. Nograles said Filipino workers need a lifeline amid rising hunger and cost of living. "The salary increases of regional wage boards are only small and not enough. We believe that the fastest intervention for us is to have the P200 wage hike to buy food for the families of our workers," he added. Results of a survey conducted by Social Weather Stations in March showed that 27.2 percent of Filipino families, or 7.5 million households, experienced involuntary hunger in the past three months, the highest since September 2020. Nograles said that Light Rail Transit Line 1 minimum fare has increased from P15 to P20, with the maximum fare for a single-journey ticket rising from P45 to P55. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, he added, was set to rule on petitions for a P2 provisional increase in jeepney fares, along with a P2 fare hike for both city and provincial buses. Nograles added that an urgent certification by the President on the proposed wage hike could expedite its passage. "Once session resumes in June, there will only be six days remaining to pass the bill. An urgent certification would help us bypass the three-session-day rule between the second and third reading passage of the proposed wage hike," he said.
Tomas Kauer - Moderator 
HOUSE Labor and Employment Committee chairman, and Rizal 4th District Rep. Fidel Nograles called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to certify as urgent the measure proposing a P200 wage hike.
"I believe we are now at the point where we need executive action. We are past the need for reviews from the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board, rather, what the people need is for President Marcos to certify as urgent the proposed wage hike. We are appealing to the president that our countrymen need the salary increase," Nograles said.
The lawmaker issued the statement after Palace Press Officer Clarissa Castro said that regional wage boards were instructed by Marcos to review workers' salaries.
Nograles said Filipino workers need a lifeline amid rising hunger and cost of living.
"The salary increases of regional wage boards are only small and not enough. We believe that the fastest intervention for us is to have the P200 wage hike to buy food for the families of our workers," he added.
Results of a survey conducted by Social Weather Stations in March showed that 27.2 percent of Filipino families, or 7.5 million households, experienced involuntary hunger in the past three months, the highest since September 2020.
Nograles said that Light Rail Transit Line 1 minimum fare has increased from P15 to P20, with the maximum fare for a single-journey ticket rising from P45 to P55.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, he added, was set to rule on petitions for a P2 provisional increase in jeepney fares, along with a P2 fare hike for both city and provincial buses.
Nograles added that an urgent certification by the President on the proposed wage hike could expedite its passage.
"Once session resumes in June, there will only be six days remaining to pass the bill. An urgent certification would help us bypass the three-session-day rule between the second and third reading passage of the proposed wage hike," he said.
