The House Committee on Labor and Employment, chaired by Rizal Rep. Juan Fidel Felipe Nograles, has approved a substitute bill granting a ₱200 across-the-board daily wage increase for private sector workers.
Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito Mendoza, a key proponent, urged lawmakers to pass the measure, emphasizing that the last legislated wage hike was in 1989. He stressed that the increase would help over 5 million minimum wage earners afford basic needs and escape poverty.
Other legislators, including OFW Party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino, Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Danniel Manuel, echoed their support, citing inflation and the constitutional right to a living wage.
The bill, a consolidation of proposals from multiple representatives, now moves to the House plenary for further deliberation.