Progressive groups hit ‘worsening economic crisis,’ seek wage hike
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 01 May) – Members of various progressive groups in Davao City staged a Labor Day protest to air their sentiments over the “worsening economic crisis” under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and to call for an increase in the daily minimum daily wage.
Paul John Dizon, secretary general of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)-Southern Mindanao, said in a statement that the Marcos administration does not have clear solutions to address the most pressing problems concerning labor.
The groups cited the soaring inflation, low income, and insufficient jobs for Filipino workers.
Dizon said around 400 members of Bayan-Southern Mindanao Region (Bayan-SMR), KMU-SMR, Anakbayan-SMR, Gabriela Youth Davao, Kabataan Partylist, and League of Filipino Students joined the protest.
He said the P428 to P443 minimum wage in Davao Region is insufficient to provide the basic needs of a family, and has been devalued with the rising inflation rate.
He said KMU-SMR and BAYAN-SMR are demanding a P1,100 nationwide increase in the minimum daily wage.
He said they support House Bill 7568 or the P750 Wage Increase Bill filed by the Makabayan bloc and Senate Bill 2002 or the P150 Across -the-Board Wage Increase Act submitted by Senate President Miguel Zubiri “as it will give substantial economic relief for the workers if passed.”
Dizon also expressed concern that several jeepney and bus drivers would lose their jobs with the implementation of the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project, also known as High Priority Bus System.
He added that the farmers in the region are also “experiencing the economic crunch as the buying price of agricultural and marine products remain low, while the price of farm inputs and equipment are high.”
“This continuing hardship of our farmers is a product of gross neglect of the government in giving importance to our agriculture; sans genuine agrarian reform we always have food shortage,” he said.
He criticized President Marcos for traveling to Washington, D.C., “instead of facing the workers and responding to people’s grievances.”
Marcos arrived in the US on Monday for his four-day official visit where he is expected to meet President Joe Biden to reaffirm the strong diplomatic relations of the Philippines with the US.
Instead of crafting meaningful and pro-people socio-economic programs, Dizon said the current administration made it a priority to continue the “neoliberal and repressive policies that aggravated people’s hardships” such as the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, Rice Tariffication Law, Anti-Terrorism Act, and the US-RP Balikatan military exercises.
“We call on the government to expand the provision of aid or subsidies to those most affected by unemployment and poverty due to the worsening economic crisis,” he said.
“We call on all Filipinos to stand with our rights to living wage, life, and redress of grievances. Let us not be cowed by red-tagging, harassment, and other militarist programs of the government as it only aims to preserve the current situation,” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
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