THE “no work, no pay” proposal of House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos has gained strong support from his colleagues and labor groups.
“This bill ensures that public money is spent only when public work is done,” Deputy Speaker and La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega said.
“If this principle applies to workers nationwide, it should apply even more to those crafting the laws,” Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said. “Public service begins with showing up and doing the work.”
“This is not about punishment — it is about professional discipline in lawmaking,” Deputy Speaker and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jay Khonghun said.
House Deputy Majority Leader and 1-Rider Rep. Rodge Gutierrez, a lawyer, said the proposal has basis in the 1987 Constitution, which allows legislation to regulate lawmakers’ pay.
“This is firmly within Congress’ constitutional authority,” Gutierrez said. “The measure closes gaps where public funds could be released without public service.”
Kamanggagawa Rep. Elijah San Fernando also supported House Bill 7432 filed by Marcos.
“What makes us so special? What ordinary workers experience must also be applied to elected officials,” San Fernando said in Filipino and English.
“It is a big deal that the presidential son and majority floor leader was the one who proposed the measure. At this point in time, where our institution is beleaguered, this move sends a message to ordinary Filipino workers that we are serious in bringing reforms from within our ranks,” San Fernando said.
Organized labor expressed support for the proposal.
“Why should lawmakers — who are elected and paid by the people under the rule of ‘no work, no pay’ — enjoy a different rulebook?” the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) said on Wednesday.
FFW President Sonny Matula said that they fully agree with Marcos that Congress has the constitutional power to implement the policy.
The group noted that absenteeism has become too common to ignore in the Senate and House of Representatives.
“The public sees empty seats in the House and hears reports of a senator who has not been seen for months yet continues to receive salary and allowances,” it said, obviously referring to Sen. Ronald “Bato” de Rosa, who has been absent for more than two months now.
“A worker who disappears from work doesn’t get rewarded — he gets written up AWOL notice and discipline. Congress should not be the only workplace in the country where “missing in action” still comes with full pay,” it added.
Matula said the “no show, no pay” policy is the norm in Australia’s parliament as well as in European Union-member countries like France, Belgium, and Portugal.
The group proposed that Congress implement automatic withholding of salary/allowances for unjustified absences.
“What applies to workers on the shop floor must also apply to lawmakers on the chamber floor,” it said.