Cebu labor groups petition for temporary P100 wage hike

CEBU, Philippines – Labor groups converged on Thursday, April 27, at the Central Visayas office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to file a petition for a P100 hike in the current daily minimum wage .

The current daily minimum wage in Central Visayas for Class-A cities like Cebu City, Mandaue City, and Lapu-Lapu City, is P435 for non-agricultural workers and P425 for agricultural workers.

“Ang among gi-petition is really just a wage recovery (What we’re petitioning is just a wage recovery),” Teody Navea, chairperson of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) in Cebu, told Rappler in an interview.

Navea said that the wage recovery is a temporary solution to the decreasing value of wages for workers in Central Visayas. He stressed that the daily minimum wage in Cebu could not even match its high costs of living and the inflated prices of commodities. 

“Sa pagbayad sa kuryente (In paying for electricity), we’re paying here P17 per kilowatt hour (kWh) while Manila is paying only P11,” the labor leader said.

In December 2022, the Visayan Electric Company (VECO), the second-largest electricity distribution company in the country that serves several parts of Cebu, charged approximately P16.35 per kWh to residential consumers.

In March 2023, VECO charged P14.25 per kWh to residential consumers, while the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) rate was P11.43 per kWh.

P750 wage hike

“On our part, it is a temporary hike but we will still be aiming for the daily minimum wage to be at P750, which is our original call,” Navea said.

For years, labor groups across the nation have fought for a P750 wage hike. On March 13, the Makabayan bloc filed House Bill 7568, pushing for the P750 increase for all workers in the private sector.

Alyansa sa mga Mamumuo sa Sugbo-Kilusang Mayo Uno (AMA Sugbo – KMU) supported BMP’s move to push for the P100 increase, citing data from the IBON Foundation which showed that a family of five would need P1,234 daily in order to live without sacrificing basic needs and human dignity.

“Ug unsa kalisod niadto, mas grabe na ang kalisod karon. Ug muhatag gani sila ug tubag sa among petition, better do it faster,” Navea said.

(If it was difficult then, things are a lot more difficult now. If they are going to give us an answer to our petition, better do it faster)

To be deliberated

DOLE Central Visayas Regional Director, Lilia Estillore, told reporters on Thursday, April 27, that they would deliberate with the region’s wage and productivity board on the possibility of a wage increase.

“Nakikita naman talaga natin na (We really see that) our prices are increasing but we also would need to see if this is just temporary or if it could be necessary to increase,” Estillore said.

Estillore added that they cannot yet provide a clear time frame as to when a decision would be made regarding the petition but there will be a public hearing right after the said petition is evaluated. – Rappler.com