ANGARA LAUDS WAGE HIKE IN MINDANAO, CALLS FOR MORE

Sen. Edgardo J. Angara today welcomes the wage increase in four regions in Mindanao, saying this is an important step in securing the welfare of workers in the region and attaining progress for resource-potent and labour-rich Mindanao.

"This is good news! This is a good start in proving the government's commitment to bring socio-economic development in Mindanao and eventually broker for political progress," noted Angara, author of legislative reforms in developing Mindanao as trading hub in the country.

The Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) announced this week that the wage board increase in the ARMM, the CARAGA, Northern Mindanao and the Davao regions have been approved to be implemented for all minimum wage-earners in the private sector.

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity in Northern Mindanao will see a net increase of P13.00 in employees daily minimum wage and integrated their basic cost of living allowance (COLA) of P12.00 into their basic pay.

In Davao region, wage board is increased at P21.00 in the daily minimum wage while ARMM employees get a P12.00 wage hike for all sectors. The CARAGA gets a P10.00 increase and their P10.00 COLA also integrated into their basic pay.

Angara praised the efforts of the DOLE in executing such wage hikes, but called on the DOLE and the private sector to further cooperate in increasing wage levels of those who earn above minimum [wage level] and to expand such wage increase order to other regions in Mindanao.

"During the past administrations, the focus of development in Mindanao had been more on what it can offer and less on what its people get. Over the past decade there has been no permanent mechanism for the affairs of Mindanao. It is time that we take care of the region not only in terms of peace and order issues; the manpower and natural resources of the region has so much potential for them to spur further progress for the region," said Angara.

Angara has proposed the Mindanao Economic Development Act (MEDA) to harness the region's potentials for industrial development and make it a hub for economic and trade activities with East-Asian neighbors.