Bongbong backs call for higher wages

MANILA, Philippines - Vice presidential candidate Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday said he is backing the call for higher wages even as the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) seeks to increase the minimum wage in Metro Manila by P154.

“Having decent work to support one’s family is a basic human right and workers have long been suffering for sky-high taxes and very low income to begin with that does not support their needs,” he said.

The senator said he is also pushing for the creation of the Jobs Creation Council, an inter-agency body that would focus on employment generation through partnerships of the government with business leaders and local government units (LGUs).

He said that a review of whether the wages truly are commensurate with the inflation rate and basic expenses should be done not only in Metro Manila but nationwide.

“During my campaign sorties, I have talked to a lot of groups and they kept complaining about the same thing. No matter which province, no matter who I talk to, it always boils down to insufficient income for the amount of work they do and even before their salaries get to them, over 30 percent of it has already been deducted in taxes. So a wage increase should be given now,” he stated.

During the last vice presidential debate, Marcos said that if he will be given a Cabinet position he would want to be secretary of labor because he believes that this is one of the keys to solving the poverty problem plaguing the country.

Marcos said that aside from the evaluation of wages, it is important to establish a Jobs Creation Council that will prioritize an employment projection plan where high employment growth rates are met and negative employment outcomes are projected.