Malacañang Palace said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will look into proposed wage hikes in the 20th Congress.

This comes after the Wage Board approved a P50 wage hike in the National Capital Region for minimum wage workers.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said Marcos wants to strike a balance between supporting business owners and helping minimum wage workers.

“Again, we will study whether this is really feasible because if it causes layoffs because most small business owners cannot afford it, more workers will suffer because they may lose their jobs. So, all of this will be studied for the good of all,” she said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

Castro emphasized that the government has implemented programs aimed at helping working Filipinos.

“There are job fairs where we have provided 170,000 jobs for our countrymen from 2022 to May 1,” she said. “And because there was also a 27 billion US dollar investment, we have also created 350,000 jobs nationwide."

“And if the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board has now given a P50 wage hike, that is what has been evaluated as being able to be given to our workers to alleviate even a little of their hardship, with now resulting to P1,300 per month,” she added, referring to a six-day work week for a minimum wage earner.

Castro said the Marcos administration will consult with stakeholders such as businessmen, workers, and investors to hear all sides and opinions.

In the 19th Congress, the proposed P200 wage hike stalled as both chambers failed to agree to a bicameral conference or adopt each other’s version of the bill.

Malacañang said the decision for the wage hike rests with Congress, even if the President advocates on behalf of the workers.