A labor NGO lays down a workers electoral agenda as the campaign period for 2025 midterm polls begins on Tuesday.
According to the Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER), trade unions and workers groups in the Philippines have long pushed for the electoral agenda that covers decent and safe jobs, living wages, lower prices, social protection, and a self-sufficient economy.
“To secure workers’ rights, we must uphold and exercise our democratic rights. Vote for candidates who are committed to the legitimate interests of Filipino workers, the real drivers of our economy,” said Gene Rodriguez, officer-in-charge of EILER. “We also urge the candidates to tackle raising wages to livable standards, as the Philippines remains one of the countries with lowest minimum wages,” Rodriguez added.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority shows that the average daily basic pay of 31.06 million workers which cover 62.7% of the country’s employed workforce only ranges between PhP 378 and PhP 525. Further, the average minimum wage in 17 regions is at PhP 469 only. In Region V, the 5th most vote-rich region, its minimum wage rate of PhP 395 is the 2nd lowest among all regional rates. On the other hand, daily living wage standards soar at PhP 1,231.
“Wage increase must be coupled with lowering of prices. Any wage increase only covers price surges and is even used by big corporations to further increase prices to protect their profit,” said Rodriguez.
EILER noted that it is the poorest Filipino households who are more burdened by inflation. In the past five (5) years, inflation rates for the bottom 30% households are much higher than national averages. In 2024 alone, inflation for the former stood at 4.2% while 3.2% for the latter. Inflation stunted wage increases as evidenced by stagnated real wages. In NCR, while minimum wage increased from PhP 537 in 2022 to PhP 645 in 2025, its real value only increased by PhP 22 from PhP 494 in 2022 to PhP 516 in 2025.
“At least 16 million Filipinos are employed in the informal economy. Their significance both in number and in our economy merits policy focus on local job creation and transformative social protection, not just occasional and selective ayuda,” Rodriguez emphasized.
According to the International Labor Organization, the informal economy is characterized by low quality employment, inadequate social protection, poor governance, and low productivity. EILER further states that the increasing informalization of work in the country is borne by lack of national industries and has pushed millions to non-regular and precarious jobs.
“The lawmakers we are to elect must therefore commit themselves to a long-term pro-worker economic roadmap that must include financial and policy support for local producers and manufacturers and their protection from local and foreign monopolies,” Rodriguez concluded.
NEWS RELEASE
10 February 2025
Reference: Gene Rodriguez, +649452110720
