Escudero: Senate, House on same page pushing for Filipinos’ welfare
The Senate and House of Representatives appeared to be on the same page of looking after the welfare of the country’s labor force despite their exchanging barbs on the ongoing talks on the People’s Initiative for Charter change.
Senator Francis Escudero on Monday welcomed the lower chamber’s move to pass its version of a measure seeking a daily minimum wage increase in the salaries of private sector workers.
“It is nice to see that things are moving forward not only for the Filipino workers but also for both houses of Congress,” he said.
Last week, the Senate passed on the third and final reading, Senate Bill 2534, which would grant a P100 increase in the daily minimum wage of employees in the private sector.
Escudero said the upper chambers are now awaiting the House version so that it can proceed to the next step of the legislative process.
With the latest development, Escudero said minimum wage earners in the private sector “will finally achieve their long-delayed salary adjustment.”
To recall, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe over the weekend said the House leadership is already studying proposals for P150 and P350 hikes in the private employees’ daily minimum wage.
The House Committee on Labor and Employment is scheduled to convene this coming Wednesday, 28 February, to discuss the two measures seeking a legislated wage hike for private sector workers.
Escudero expressed happiness “that despite the disagreements among the senators and the congressmen on constitutional amendments, both the Senate and the House leadership have shown their commitment to move things forward in terms of other legislation.”
“I have always believed that while we may disagree on a couple of things, there is so much more that we can agree on and work on together,” Escudero pointed out.
“Focusing on the things that bind us and working on matters that we agree on is the key to healing and unifying not only Congress but our nation as well," he continued.
