The Senate approved on third and final reading on Monday a measure seeking to increase by P100 the minimum daily pay of private sector workers.

Senate Bill 2534 garnered 20 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and zero abstentions. At present, the daily minimum wage in the National Capital Region stands at P610.

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board issued wage orders last year that raised the minimum wage of workers in Northern Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, SOCCSKSARGEN and Central Visayas, among other regions.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. of the passage of SB 2534, which consolidated several wage hike bills, including Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri’s P150 per day proposal.

Senator Ronald dela Rosa commended the Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resource Development for supporting the measure.

“Indeed, the approval of Senate Bill No. 2534 is, so to speak, a well-deserved victory. This is a victory that we share with our employees, our workers, in the private sector,” he said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda said the increase should help alleviate the financial strain on Filipino families.

Under the measure, the minimum wage of all workers in the private sector, whether agricultural or non-agricultural, shall be increased by P100 a day upon the effectivity of the law.

P460 a day

Violators would be fined P25,000 to P100,000, or with imprisonment of between 2-4 years, as well as the award of back pay.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed a Filipino family of five would need at least P460 a day, or P13,797 a month, to make ends meet.

Senator Risa Hontiveros cited the need to pass an across-the-board wage increase because the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Boards, she said, had failed in their duty.

“In the past so many years, the majority of the legislated minimum wages were just in the vicinity of the poverty line set by the PSA. The National Wages and Productivity Council will bear this out. Why is this the case? Why are minimum wages frequently set at the regional poverty line?” she asked.

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go that the measure would help strike a balance between the interest of the employers and the workers.

“To the affluent people, you’ll not lose out when you share more of your income to the poor, those who endure a hand-to-mouth existence,” Go said.