Hontiveros reiterates support for wage adjustments, sound interventions amid rising inflation

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday reiterated her call for the government to consider granting workers' demands for pay adjustments and to devise appropriate measures to contain runaway inflation.

She made the statement after inflation surged to 8.0 percent in November, surpassing the 14-year high of 7.7 percent recorded in October.

"Ngayong papalapit na ang Pasko, sana naman ay mapakinggan na ang hiling ng mga manggagawa na umento sa sahod. Ang patuloy na pagtaas ng inflation, ngunit wala namang pagtaas sa sweldo ay lalong nagbabaon sa ating mga kababayan sa kahirapan," Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros supports the call for wage hikes as contained in the 5-Point Labor Agenda being pushed by the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition and United Labor and has committed to work for reforms in the wage fixing mechanisms at the Senate. She said that the proposed increase is justified because, in addition to inflation, productivity-based wage adjustments have never been granted by Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards.

"Most minimum wages are set around the poverty line, but it is undisputed that labor productivity has been going up while real wages have been at the same level for decades now. As production technology is improved, our workers have to work more. Kapag mataas ang productivity, hindi makatarungan na pareho lang ang bayad," the Senator said.

The labor sector, she argues, must not be made to carry the burden of battling economic crises everywhere.

"Kung hindi ito seryosong haharapin ay taghirap na Bagong Taon ang sasalubungin ng ating mga kababayan. Sa tindi ng krisis pang-ekonomiya ngayon, maaari naman sigurong tugunan ng pamahalaan ang hiling na dagdag-umento kahit na mayroong one-year ban para sa adjustment ng sweldo sa bansa," asserted Hontiveros.

She noted that other than wage hikes, the government must find methods to prevent further erosion of the purchasing power of Filipinos by regulating the high inflation rate on basic household expenditures such as food and utilities such as electricity and water.

"Sa halip na pagtuunan ng pansin ang pagtatatag ng Maharlika Fund na maaari pang makabawas sa pondo ng manggagawa sa SSS at GSIS, mas importanteng mabawi ang halagang nawala sa kanila at siguruduhin na abot-kaya ang presyo ng pagkain, kuryente at tubig," Hontiveros said.

The inflation rate of electricity, gas, and other fuels is at 13%, higher than the overall inflation rate, particularly in places outside National Capital Region. The opposition senator stated, "Therefore, any step that might lead to lower electricity costs can minimize the severe impact of total inflation at the household level."

Hontiveros has been advocating for a number of measures to reduce electricity prices in the country, such as lowering the 15% weighted average cost of capital (WACC) allowed by regulators to be collected from customers and the effective implementation of the "least cost" pricing required by EPIRA.