Improving the plight of Filipino workers will be a top priority of senatorial aspirants from the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas as they plan to increase the take-home pay of public and private employees nationwide.
Former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said now is time to improve the salary and incentives of contract-of-service (COS) and job order (JO) workers in government, the country’s top employer with close to two million employees as of 2024 based on figures from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Abalos lamented that COS and JO workers do not receive standard employment benefits unlike regular state employees holding permanent, casual, temporary, and co-terminus positions, per a circular of the Commission on Audit and DBM.
“Huwag kayo mag-alala … Basta nandiyan na po tayo, gagawa tayo ng batas na maski incentive pay, gratuity pay, meron po kayo niyan. You deserve it,” said Abalos, who also served as mayor of Mandaluyong City for five terms.
Citing 2023 data from the DBM, Abalos noted that COS and JO workers make up 29.68 percent of the government workforce.
Abalos likewise vowed to remove taxes imposed on fuel being used for power generation to lower electricity rates and unburden employees from the rising cost of living, as well as attract more manufacturing companies to stir job generation.
Former Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson would also fight to improve workers’ salaries by pushing for an inflation-based wage adjustment per region.
According to Lacson, an inflation-based wage adjustment would be more beneficial to workers since prices of commodities vary across regions.
He also said that the Regional Wage Board should have the flexibility to decide on the minimum wage rates.
“Halimbawa pumunta ka sa Zapote, sa Bacoor parang Metro Manila na ang presyo. Pumunta ka naman sa Maragondon, Bailen, medyo napapalayo baka iba rin ang presyo,” Lacson noted. “Bigyan natin ng konting flexibility ‘yong wage board na kung saan sila ‘yong makakapag-aral ano ba ‘yong existing inflation rate doon sa iba’t ibang lugar.”
Currently, the average minimum wage in provincial areas is P316-P560 per day as opposed to Metro Manila’s daily minimum wage of P645.
For former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, it is about time that the government provides additional financial relief to Filipino workers.
He vowed to continue fighting for a legislated 14th month pay for workers which shall be released in June to help Filipino families cover expected expenses around that time such as school tuition and other related fees.
Sotto, however, gave assurance that his proposed measure would consider safeguards for employers who could not afford to provide the 14th month pay.
In 2019, Sotto filed Senate Bill No. 10 requiring employers to provide 14th month pay to Filipino workers. According to the lawmaker, there is a need to give extra earnings in the middle of the year since the prevailing 13th month pay is gobbled up by Christmas expenses.
“The needs of the ordinary Filipino must be assisted by our government,” he noted. “The 13th month pay was mandated by Presidential Decree 851 in 1975. We need to push for a 14th month pay now to provide our kababayan additional financial relief.”
If Sotto’s 14th month pay proposal is approved, Makati Mayor Abby Binay, said she would move to exempt the 14th month pay, 13th month pay, and overtime pay from taxes.
“Relieving the tax burden on workers will enable Filipino families, especially those in the low to middle-income sectors, to avoid falling deeper into poverty in the face of rising inflation,” Binay said.
“May domino effect ‘yan. Tataas ang consumer spending, sisigla ang mga negosyo, tataas ang revenue collection ng gobyerno. Na-offset whatever revenue is lost,” Binay also explained. (PR)
