Malacañang Palace has clarified that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not block the proposal for a wage increase for minimum wage workers in the country.

Incoming Kabataan Partylist Representative Renee Co criticized Marcos for setting aside wage hike proposals in favor of large corporations and allowing oil companies to increase prices on petroleum products.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro explained that the decision for a wage hike rests in the hands of lawmakers, not the President.

“I hope the Kabataan Partylist can see what the President is really doing. He is not obstructing, we want to correct that – the President is not obstructing the increase in wages,” she said.

She added that the Regional Tripartite Wage Board can attest that Marcos has advocated multiple times for a salary increase for workers.

Castro noted that the Chief Executive cannot interfere with the discussions between the House of Representatives and the Senate.

“If what they are asking for is a 200-peso wage hike, that is up to Congress. If the House of Representatives and the Senate cannot agree right now, the President cannot just dictate,” she said.

On the matter of fluctuating oil prices, Castro pointed out that due to global market forces and established legislation such as the Oil Deregulation Law, the government is unable to control the price of gasoline, diesel, and kerosene.

She then urged the Kabataan Partylist to submit a proposed legislation in the 20th Congress granting power to the Executive Department to enforce policies that would benefit stakeholders.

Earlier this month, the lower chamber of Congress approved on third and final reading the P200 wage increase proposal for minimum wage workers in the private sector.

This version is higher than the Senate’s P100 proposal. According to lawmakers, as the 19th Congress has adjourned sine die, the legislation will have to be refiled in the 20th Congress.