Tulfo Seeks Review of Minimum Wage Policies to Improve Quality of Life for Workers

Senator Idol Raffy Tulfo has filed a Senate Resolution (SR) to review existing policies on minimum wage increases with the goal of improving the quality of life for workers, particularly those in the lower income bracket. Despite the minimum wage increase implemented last year, Tulfo emphasizes that many workers continue to face financial difficulties due to rising inflation. He asserts that the minimum wage is a critical tool in ensuring workers receive a basic standard of living and promoting economic growth.

Tulfo’s SR No. 476 states that it is the state’s responsibility to set the minimum wage at a level that provides workers with a decent standard of living, taking into account factors such as inflation rates. The resolution emphasizes the need to improve the standard of living and quality of life for workers, especially those in the lower income bracket, and to ensure that policies on minimum wage increases are fair, effective, and consistent with the needs of workers and the economy.

While the latest minimum wage increase took effect last June 4, 2022, with rates ranging from P533 to P570 per day in NCR, and between June 6 to June 30, 2022, with rates ranging from P306 to P470 outside Metro Manila, Tulfo argues that rising inflation, with a reported rate of 8.7% in January 2023, has significantly impacted the cost of living. This has made it difficult for workers to make ends meet on their current wages.

Labor groups have already called for a new round of wage hikes, not only in Metro Manila but across the country, to recover the lost purchasing power of workers.