HOUSE SAT ON WAGE HIKE BILL FOR 16 MONTHS — SENATORS

SENATORS led by Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Friday criticized the House of Representatives for “passing the buck” over the non-passage of the legislated wage hike in the 19th Congress

According to Escudero, the Senate has approved its version of the bill calling for a 100-peso wage increase as early as February 2024 and immediately sought its adoption by the House, but the measure was not acted upon by the Lower Chamber until a few hours before the adjournment on June 11, 2025, leaving no ample time for discussion and the convening of the Bicameral Conference Committee.

“Bakit ba kung kailan huli biglang sasabihin dine-delay namin at wala kaming oras para i-adopt ‘yung kapapadala lang nila. Kung pinadala nila bago kami mag-adjourn noon pa, e ‘di mas madaling pag-usapan ‘yun at mapag-aralan,” the Senate President said.

Escudero said that in fact, as soon as the House passed its version of the bill, the Senate immediately designated its members to the Bicameral Conference Committee to work on reconciling the conflicting provisions of the two bills.

To expedite the approval of the bill, both the Senate President and the chair of the Senate’s Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development Senator Joel Villanueva met separately with members of the House, to ask them to adopt the Senate’s version.

Both Escudero and Villanueva were told that the House was amenable to adopt the Senate’s version in order to have the bill transmitted to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for signing before the end of the 19th Congress.

Escudero said that until the last hour of the last session day on June 11,  the Senate waited for word from the House of its adoption of the Senate bill, but here was no communication from the Lower Chamber.

“We passed this measure more than a year ago. We were able to get the official third reading copy of the House of Representatives 48 hours before we would adjourn. Yesterday (June 10) we talked to members of the conferees. Last night they were saying they were amenable to adopting the Senate version,” Villanueva said during the last session day on Wednesday.

The Senate President explained that all the House needed to do was to manifest in plenary that it is adopting the version of the Senate on the wage hike bill, the need for the Bicameral Conference Committee would be negated and the measure would already be enrolled for signing of the President.

“Talaga bang ganito na ang gagawin ninyo? ‘Yong impeachment pinadala niyo huling araw na lang ng sesyon namin; ito ganoon din huling mga araw ng mga sesyon namin tapos ayan na naman kayo, mamadaliin niyo na naman kami na parang kami ang may kasalanan,” Escudero said.

“Pinasa namin itong wage hike na P100 February 2024, mahigit isang taon nilang inupuan ito. Tapos bigla ngayon sila ‘yung gigil na gigil at nagmamadali. May proseso kung gusto talaga nilang i-adopt ‘yong bersyon ng Senado. Simpleng mosyon lang ‘yan sa plenaryo ng Kamara at diretso na ‘yan sa opisina ng ating Pangulong Marcos,” he added.

Senate Bill 2534, approved by the Senate on February 19, 2024 calls for a 100-peso daily minimum wage increase for workers in the private sector.

The House version of the bill called for a 200-peso daily minimum wage hike.

Escudero said there was no data coming from the House to support the viability of its minimum wage hike proposal from the businesses that will be affected, as well as its impact on the economy if ever this is enacted into law.

In his manifestation in plenary, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri aired his disappointment at the insistence of the House on the 200-peso minimum wage hike “when we all know the businessmen, the small and medium enterprises cannot afford such a large sum.”

“We would like to inform our workers that the Senate did its best to fight for the rights and fiscal incentive of having another 100 pesos a day increase. I am disheartened that they (House members) don’t want to negotiate with us. Obviously if we adopt the 200-peso minimum wage bill mabi-veto ni Presidente ‘yan and if that will be vetoed, you torpedo the measure and it looks bad on everyone,” Zubiri said.