Daven Tamayo

P200 or P100 wage hike bill? Escudero says it has to be Senate's version

Article (news)

RG Cruz

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — Senate President Francis &quot;Chiz&quot; Escudero on Wednesday said he would welcome the House adopting the Senate&#x27;s proposed legislative increase of P100 to the minimum wage.</p><p>Adopting the lower increase is the only chance left for the bill to go to Malacañang for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.&#x27;s signature since there is no more time for a bicameral conference committee.</p><p>Escudero added he does not know the basis for the P200 proposed in the House version of the bill, which, he said, was passed late and is now being rushed.</p><p>&quot;May proseso kung talagang gusto nilang i-adopt yung bersyon ng Senado. Simpleng motion yan sa plenaryo ng Kamara. At hindi na kailangan ng bicam,&quot; he said.</p><p>(There is a process if they really want to adopt the Senate version. It will be a simple motion of the House in plenary. We won&#x27;t need a bicam if that happens.)</p><p>The bicameral conference committee, which has panels from the two chambers, is tasked with reconciling versions of bills.</p><p>&quot;Ang problema ng mga miyembro ng bicam pati ako personally, hindi ko alam kung saan nila hinugot ito. At sa parte ng Senado, ni walang pagdinig na ginawa kaugnay sa ganito kataas na halaga,&quot; Escudero said.</p><p>(The problem is the members of the bicam, including me, don&#x27;t know where they got that figure. On the part of the Senate, there were no hearings held for an increase that high.)</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/6/11/econ-managers-oppose-wage-hike-bills-citing-impact-on-inflation-msmes-growth-1439">Econ managers oppose wage hike bills citing impact on inflation, MSMEs, growth</a></div><p>The House of Representatives adjourned sine die for the 19th Congress without ratifying the bill seeking to hike the minimum wage of workers in the private sector, missing the chance for the measure to go to Malacañang.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>VILLANUEVA URGES HOUSE TO ADOPT SENATE PROPOSAL</strong></div><p>Sen. Joel Villanueva meanwhile appealed to the House bicam committee to adopt the lower P100 hike, which he said the Senate passed before the House did.</p><p>&quot;We don&#x27;t have the time right now . Time is really not on our side,&quot; the chair of the Senate labor committee said.</p><p>Villanueva said if the measure is not adopted by the end of the last session day of the 19th Congress, then the bill will have to be refiled in July.</p><p>The senator, who previously said the P200 increase might just end up vetoed because of opposition to it by the business sector, said he feels the bill was, in a way, sabotaged.</p><p>&quot;Parang pinupush tayo to the brink na naghahanap ng scapegoat eh yun yung ating nararamdaman ngayon at nakakalungkot because at the end of the day this will be at the expense of our workers.&quot;</p><p>(It is like they are pushing us to the brink and are looking for a scapegoat. That&#x27;s what it feels like and it is saddening because at the end of the day this will be at the expense of our workers.)</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>BROSAS: IT SEEMS GOVERNMENT DOESN&#x27;T WANT TO GRANT EVEN SMALL HIKE</strong></div><p>In a statement Wednesday, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas said she was deeply concerned at what she called a deadlock on the bill, saying the Senate has stood firm on its proposal of P100.</p><p>&quot;Hindi pa nga ito aabot sa nakabubuhay na sahod dahil P100-P200 wage increase lang ito, pero parang pinagdadamot pa ng gobyerno. Ang mga manggagawa ang apektado sa pagkaantala na ito, kaya dapat magkaisa na ang lahat para maipasa ang legislated wage increase na ito,&quot; she said.</p><p>(This is not even enough for a living wage because we are just increasing the wage by P100-P200 but it seems the government doesn&#x27;t even want to grant that. It is the workers who will be affected by this delay, so we need to reach an agreement so this legislated wage increase is passed)</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/6/9/escudero-says-wage-hike-bills-not-priority-of-ledac-1711">Escudero says wage hike bills not priority of LEDAC<br/></a></div><p>Escudero on Wednesday stressed that the House passed its version in the closing days of the 19th Congress. He also alleged that the House passed the bill without studying the economic effects of a wage increase.</p><p>Employers and the business sector have repeatedly cautioned against raising wages, saying these would lead to job losses and would only lead to higher prices as they pass on the labor cost to consumers. </p><p>Economic managers have also issued a joint statement saying the proposed wage hikes by the Senate and House will stoke inflation, raise unemployment and dampen economic growth. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/6/11/econ-managers-oppose-wage-hike-bills-citing-impact-on-inflation-msmes-growth-1439" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Econ managers oppose wage hike bills citing impact on inflation, MSMEs, growth</a></div><p>Think tanks IBON Foundation and supporters of the wage hike have countered that businesses can afford the wage increases without raising prices by lowering profit margins. They also said higher wages would mean workers would have more to spend. That, in turn, would help the economy.</p><p>The Palace has said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will study the potential effects a legislated wage increase would have on the economy. --<strong> with a report from Vivienne Gulla, ABS-CBN News</strong></p>

<p>Escudero added he does not know the basis for the P200 proposed in the House version of the bill, which, he said, was passed late and is now being rushed.</p>

Escudero added he does not know the basis for the P200 proposed in the House version of the bill, which, he said, was passed late and is now being rushed.