The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) plans to provide P200 as subsidy to 4.1 million minimum wage earner to tide them over with the rising prices of commodities and services.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the proposed monthly subsidy was firmed up in a meeting with Department of Finance (DoF), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“We are confident that it will be approved,” Bello said.

Bello added that they are planning to give the amount in a lumpsum of P2,400 for a year.

“This is great news to workers who stand to benefit from the subsidy,” Allan Tanjusay, spokesperson of the Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) said.

While he admitted that such amount is meager, Tanjusay said this will help minimum wage earners to cope with the rising prices of basic commodities.

“Though it may not be enough, this will provide a measure of relief to workers who are hard up making both ends meet during these difficult times with inflation continuing to rise,” he added.

Tanjusay also vowed to continue pushing for a P500 subsidy to workers.

“Though we are proposing for P500, we will continue to push the DoLE and the government to raise the amount to provide greater relief for workers and their families,” he said.

Tanjusay is also hoping that the subsidy will not replace the increase in the salaries of workers that the wage boards may possibly give to employees.

“We hope that the subsidy will not replace or negate the wage increase that the wage boards are about to grant workers,” he added.

On Tuesday, Bello said his agency is looking to provide subsidies amounting to P200 per month to nationwide to help them cope with the rise in prices of basic goods.