Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said the government will study giving cash aid to minimum wage earners, the middle class, and other Filipinos not included in the subsidies being shelled out by the Marcos Jr. administration.
“Pag-aaralan po yan, depende po sa magiging budget para dyan,” said Castro in a Palace briefing on Thursday.
Castro also asked for the indulgence of the greater Filipino public in understanding the current situation.
“Nauna lang po ang mga nasa transport sector kasi sila yung naunang tinamaan at kailangang-kailangan nila ng ayuda pero ang Pangulo, binabalanse po lahat ng tulong sa ating mga kababayan. Kaya nga po hindi agad pinayagang magtaas ng pamasahe para po ang lahat ay makinabang din,” she said.
“Ang kailangan lang po ngayon ay magkaroon ng pang-unawa, pag-intindi at lahat po tayo ay magtulungan. Iwasan na po ng iba na manira, magbigay ng fake news dahil hindi po ito panahon ng pamumulitika,” the Palace spokesperson urged.
During the Senate hearing on Thursday, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) proposed a P5,000 monthly wage subsidy for over five million minimum wage earners, as the House of Representatives and the Senate have yet to convene a special session to discuss and pass the proposed P200 legislated wage hike.
“Hindi naman puwedeng tumaas na ang presyo ng lahat maliban lang sa sweldo. Kung may ‘fuel subsidy’ para sa sektor ng transportasyon, dapat meron ding ‘wage subsidy’ para sa ating higit limang milyong minimum wage earners. Higit tatlong dekada na silang pinabayaan ng regional wage boards mula pa 1989 pati ba naman ngayong krisis ay muli silang papabayaan lalo ng DOLE ni minsan ay hindi kami pinulong at ang UPLIFT Committee ng Palasyo ay nabuo nang hindi man lang kinilala o isinama ang boses ng mga manggagawa,” said the TUCP, which attended the Senate Proactive Response and Oversight for Timely and Effective Crisis Strategy (PROTECT) committee hearing.
Recently, Department of Budget and Management Acting Secretary Rolando Toledo confirmed that the government has approximately P230 billion in available funds for crisis response.
“Our proposed P5,000 monthly wage subsidy is equivalent to roughly two months of the P100 daily wage increase, which the Senate already passed last year during the 19th Congress. The required initial funding of P25 billion is only about 10 percent of the government’s estimated P230 billion available for crisis response. There is no reason for the Government to keep depriving workers of this urgent relief after denying them their fundamental right to a living wage and amid the Palace’s continued delay or even denial of certifying the legislated wage hike as urgent,” explained the TUCP.
To further cushion the crushing impact of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis on Filipino workers and their families, the TUCP pushes for the immediate comprehensive five-point response under the KAPIT acronym: K – Kanselahin ang buwis sa petrolyo, kuryente, at pagkain! Full suspension of excise tax and VAT on basic commodities; A – Agapan ang presyo! Price control, especially on diesel and food; P – Pataasin ang sweldo! An immediate special session of Congress to pass the P200 legislated wage hike; I – Ibigay ang minimum wage subsidy! P5,000 monthly subsidy for over five million minimum wage earners; T – Tigil bayad utang muna! Zero or low-interest calamity loans, plus a mandatory grace period and loan moratorium from SSS, GSIS, and Pag-IBIG.