MALAYBALAY CITY (PIA)—Retail gasoline and diesel prices soared to record highs across Northern Mindanao provinces, prompting the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB)-10 to hold a consultation with Bukidnon’s industry and labor sectors about the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines’ (TUCP) petition to increase the daily minimum wage.
“This virtual wage consultation for Bukidnon’s Private Sector and Domestic Workers or ‘Kasambahay’ is very important. We laud the RTWPB in Northern Mindanao for discussing with us—along with the province’s sector representatives—our appeal for a wage increase from P365 to P413 per day,” Lawyer Proculo Sarmen, TUCP regional vice president, said Tuesday.
The move he said reflects the value of health, safety, and life when the epidemic struck workers with diseases, deaths, griefs, anxieties, fears, depressions, and the current energy spike.
Sarmen explained that the petitioned increase is based on DOST’s Pinggang Pinoy Model showing that if computed on a daily basis, a family of five needs P358.52 food requirement; P36.79 for price increases; and P18.62 for Central Bank’s projected 2022 inflation rate.
He emphasized that this proposed wage hike covers only half the gap between the government-prescribed nutritional needs of a family of five and the survival meal per day that a minimum wage earner can afford.
“If approved, this petition will apply to workers in Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental,” Sarmen said.
Likewise, RTWPB-10 Labor Representative Engr. Milbert Macarambon emphasized that this public consultation in Bukidnon is the second phase in Northern Mindanao that aims to extract useful facts, details, and new insights to address contentions about the petition.
While the labor sector seeks to raise wages, Bukidnon’s industry and business sector representatives suggest a ‘win-win solution’ as they argued that the RTWPB and TUCP should weigh up the petition because this would place their companies at a competitive disadvantage in the market place citing the implications on the cost of doing business, which could result in pushing prices upward, exacerbate unemployment, and loss of productive workers especially that the province’s industries continue to face strong headwinds with the fierce impacts of increased fuel prices while recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, Lawyer Gretchen Lamayan of RTWPB-10 explained that the criteria for determining minimum wage for the private sector include Comparable wages and income; Needs of workers; Capacity to pay; and Requirements for economic and social development. For Domestic Workers, she said the criteria include Workers’ needs; Wage adjustments vis-a-vis the consumer price index; Poverty threshold; Household income; and Average wage of domestic workers.
Lamayan further said based on Wage Order No. RBXDW-02, effective 01 January 2020, the minimum wage for a Domestic Worker in cities and first-class towns is P4,000 per month, while it is P3,000 in other municipalities.
Impact of COVID-19 to firms and workers
On the same occasion, Regional Director Mylah Faye Aurora Cariño of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-10 reported that nearly 2,000 workers lost jobs as of February 2022 when 155 firms and 152 micro and small enterprises permanently closed down. However, she indicated that the region has some lessons learned from COVID-19 like the emerging industries in Online food delivery, Bike industry, Digital financial transactions, ICT support services, and Logistics digitalization.
“Data showed that during COVID-19 pandemic, the resilient industries are Agriculture, Food, Manufacturing, Electricity, Financial, and ICT; while those that need assistance are Tourism, Wholesale/Retail, Health, Social Work, and Construction,” she added.
A path to economic recovery
With President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order No. 166, NEDA cited the government’s 10-point agenda that directs all government departments, bureaus, offices, agencies, and instrumentalities, including government-owned or controlled corporations and state universities and colleges to ensure that all related policies, measures, and programs are aligned with the adopted policy agenda.
They are told to further reopen the economy, expand public transport capacity and resume face-to-face learning.
They are also directed to strengthen healthcare capacity and speed up the COVID-19 vaccination program.
State agencies are likewise instructed to standardize local government units (LGUs) requirements for domestic travel and local tourism, as well as to relax requirements for international travel.
EO 166 orders all government departments and offices to formulate and propose legislation to ensure the implementation of “enhanced and flexible” emergency measures during pandemics.
“NEDA shall monitor compliance of concerned agencies on adopting this 10-point agenda to accelerate and sustain economic recovery,” NEDA-10’s regional director said. (RLRB/PIA-10/Bukidnon)
Photo release:
The Northern Mindanao Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board holds consultations with Bukidnon’s industry and labor sectors to discuss the pros and cons as the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines seeks to increase the daily minimum wage in the region. (BGE/PIA-10/Bukidnon)
