Raffy Tulfo pushes for across-the-board minimum wage

Senator Raffy Tulfo is pushing for an across-the-board minimum wage for workers in the National Capital Region (NCR) and the provinces.

Currently, the daily minimum wage for non-agricultural workers in the NCR stands at P695, while wages in several provinces remain significantly lower — for example, P411 in the Bangsamoro and P415 in Caraga.

Tulfo, the Senate Committee on Labor and Employment vice chair, urged the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and labor experts to seriously study his proposal.

He emphasized that the prices of basic goods such as fuel, food, and medicine rise equally due to inflation, regardless of location.

He likewise pointed out that fuel — which drives the economy — is often more expensive in the provinces than in NCR.

According to Tulfo, equalizing wages would also discourage workers in the provinces from migrating to Manila just to find jobs with better pay.

"What's even more painful is that many workers in the province are so underpaid that they can't support their families, so they migrate to Metro Manila. But when they arrive in Manila, there are so many workers that some end up working for companies that pay only minimum wage, or if they are really treated poorly, they just return to the provinces," he added.

For his part, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma committed to reviewing the proposal and conducting thorough consultations with the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards under the NWPC.