Pacquiao vows equal worker salaries

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Manny Pacquiao vowed equal salaries for workers, regardless of geographic location, if he is elected president in the May 2022 elections.

The presidential aspirant said in a statement yesterday he would push for a review of the Labor Code and Republic Act 6727 or the Wage Rationalization Act, as he stressed the need to even up the salary rate of all workers in the country.

If he becomes president, Pacquiao said he would push for an across-the-board salary standardization scheme to address the disparity in salaries between workers employed in Metro Manila and other urban areas and those working in the countryside.

The boxer turned politician said the costs of fuel and other basic commodities in Metro Manila are the same or even higher in other regions, so it does not make sense that salaries should vary depending on one’s place of work.

Pacquiao said the imbalance in wage rates has contributed to the rapid decline of the quality of life and the productivity of many Filipinos living in Metro Manila due to traffic problems, extreme congestion in living spaces and pollution.

Wages in the Philippines are set by tripartite regional wage boards with varying rates depending on location of each region.

Pacquiao said the minimum wage, which ranges from P316 to P537 per day, must be reviewed to ensure that a person’s take home pay is within the monthly minimum threshold for a family of five as determined by the National Economic and Development Authority, which said an average Filipino family needs at least P42,000 a month to live decently.

To encourage compliance from business owners, Pacquiao said the government should also adjust by reducing taxes and providing incentives to allow their businesses to flourish despite the salary adjustment.

“We will lower their taxes so they won’t have to suffer. Instead, what they’re supposed to pay as taxes can go towards their workers,” he said.

Pacquiao also renewed his promise to bring in more investors to the regions to spur economic growth.

He earlier said he would ask big international investors who are his personal friends to invest in the country and generate thousands of jobs.