LABOR groups urged Congress to immediately convene a special session for the passage of a long-delayed P200 legislated wage hike amid the economic impact of the war in the Middle East.
The National Wage Coalition (NWC) — composed of the country’s largest labor federations, including the Federation of Free Workers (FFW), Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Nagkaisa Labor Coalition and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) — issued the call on Wednesday. The appeal comes as diesel prices rose to more than P100 per liter and gasoline exceeded P90 per liter in some areas, with no end in sight for the Middle East crisis.
The NWC said that with diesel exceeding P100 per liter and global oil prices continuing to surge, the economic shock is no longer imminent — it is already crushing Filipino workers.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has already approved fare increases for passenger jeepneys and buses in Metro Manila. Traditional public utility jeepney (PUJ) fares will rise by P1, bringing the minimum fare to P14, while modern PUJ fares will increase by P2 to P17. Both take effect on Thursday, alongside a TNVS flag-down rate increase from P45 to P65.
Labor groups pointed out that because transport fare increases have been approved across the board, they will result in a chain reaction of higher commuting costs, rising food prices and deeper financial strain on underpaid workers.
”Diesel is now over P100 per liter — yet workers still haven’t received a P200 raise. What are we waiting for — $200 oil prices? As fuel, fares and food costs climb, wages remain stuck. If workers are forced to work overtime just to survive, then Congress must be ready to do the same to pass this wage hike,” said TUCP Party-list Rep. Raymond Mendoza.
The group also noted that the Maritime Industry Authority has allowed domestic shipping operators to increase passenger fares by up to 20 percent.
FFW President Sonny Matula, a lawyer, said that while the government acted swiftly to accommodate industry adjustments, it continues to delay decisive action on wages.
”This imbalance is indefensible. Government cannot move quickly for fare hikes while dragging its feet on wage relief. A P5,000 subsidy for transport workers is necessary — but it is not a substitute for structural wage reform. More than five million minimum wage earners are being left behind,” the group said.
”Workers are being squeezed from every direction — fuel, fares, food — yet wages remain frozen. This is no longer a debate; it is a policy failure. If Congress does not act now, it is effectively choosing to let millions of minimum wage earners absorb the full impact of this crisis,” the coalition added.
The NWC said that stopgap aid is insufficient in the face of systemic inflation, stressing that immediate legislative intervention is required.
”Every day of delay erodes the real income of workers. Every fare hike without a wage increase pushes families closer to the brink. Congress must stop deferring responsibility. Convene the special session. Pass the P200 wage hike. Deliver real relief — not rhetoric,” it said.
The P200 legislated wage hike was approved by both the House and the Senate during the 19th Congress, but opposition from employer groups and government economic managers derailed its enactment.
Under the current 20th Congress, more than 20 wage hike proposals are pending in the Senate and the House.
In pressing for the approval of the proposed P200 increase, the NWC argued that the measure’s passage is the only logical and just path forward as a social, economic and moral imperative.
”This wage hike is the only hope to rescue both present and future generations from the cruel absurdity and harsh reality of getting paid a minimum wage for working for a living yet wallowing in abject, record-high self-rated poverty and involuntary hunger, where they cannot even feed their family, send their children to school, go to the hospital for medical emergencies or even live with dignity,” the group said.
”Workers across the nation are closely watching and placing their full trust in Congress to pass the P200 legislated wage hike before anything else because to do otherwise is not merely neglect of duty, but betrayal of trust,” it added.
Complicated
In a related development, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Wednesday that exercising emergency power to suspend or reduce taxes on petroleum products depends on oil price trends, noting it is a “very complicated calculation.” Marcos issued the statement after Congress approved on third and final reading a bill authorizing the president to suspend or reduce excise taxes on petroleum products during national or global economic emergencies.
”That depends. There are so many to consider. It’s a very complicated calculation. We will see,” Marcos said during a media interview.
”It depends on the trends. We have to watch the trends on oil prices. We will just have to look. It’s very hard to say because it’s all speculation,” he added.
Marcos said uncertainties in global supply routes, particularly in key choke points such as the Strait of Hormuz, were being considered in the government’s assessment.
”We don’t know how long this will last for. We don’t know what the effects are. We don’t know what will happen at the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
The president earlier sought authority from Congress to suspend or reduce excise taxes on petroleum products to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices.
The Senate version allows for the suspension or reduction of the excise tax on fuel when the average price of Dubai crude oil reaches or exceeds $80 per barrel for one month. The House version requires the president to declare a state of national emergency to justify the suspension or reduction.
Marcos has also certified as urgent a bill seeking to amend the Biofuels Act of 2006 to help cushion the impact of rising fuel prices and strengthen the country’s energy resilience.
The Biofuels Act of 2006 established the government’s policy to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels by promoting the development and use of locally produced biofuels.
Meanwhile, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto convened key frontline agencies to ensure full government coordination and accelerate the delivery of support in response to rising fuel prices.
Acting on the president’s directive, Recto ordered the Department of Budget and Management to immediately release funds for cash assistance to transport drivers under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations program.
He also directed the Department of Transportation to fast-track and expand relief measures, including the Libreng Sakay program, to ease the burden on commuters, workers, students and Filipino families.
The Department of Agriculture has been instructed to keep food prices stable and supplies secure, especially for rice, while scaling up support for farmers and fisherfolk to protect livelihoods and sustain food production.