Gunigundo promises hearing on P125 bill in August in response to workers’ picket at his house

Workers urge him not to wait 'til Congress opening. 

Militant workers picketed at the residence of Congress Labor Committee Head Magtanggol Gunigundo this morning to push him to call for a special session on the P125 wage hike bill. 

Led by the Valenzuela chapters of the Labor Alliance for Wage Increase Now (Lawin), Workers' Alliance for the Resignation of Gloria (War Gloria), and Kilusang Mayo Uno, the workers' representatives were allowed by Valenzuela Rep. Gunigundo in a dialogue in his house at Baranggay Marulas. 

Roger Soluta, KMU Deputy Secretary General, said the dialogue resulted in Gunigundo's word that he would call for a hearing on the P125 bill in August as soon as Congress resumes. 

Gunigundo said that it would be difficult to call for a special Labor Committee session at present when Congress is at break because many solons will have vacations abroad, and such session still needs approval from the House Speaker. 

"We welcome Gunigundo's move to tackle the P125 bill, since it was last subjected in a legislative session on December 2006 before it was stalled by Malacanang," Soluta said. 

"However, we still push for a special session on the across-the-board wage hike bill before the Congress opening in July. We cannot wait any longer, we do not want to prolong our suffering from unending price hikes." 

WAR Gloria – Quezon City/Valenzuela Spokesperson Elena Alejandro added that "We urge the Congress labor committee head to do his rightful duty to the people who are now at the crux of the crises. People now live in an emergency situation that necessitates an urgent response." She cited that the inflation rate reached a 9.6% record high last month.  

"It may be true that a special session needs approval from the Speaker, but he can choose to ask Cong. Nograles to grant such approval."  

"We also ask our Congressmen to delay their out-of-town trips for the sake of the people who can not even conceive of a vacation," Alejandro added.  

Soluta, moreover, asked Gunigundo "to retract his earlier position that workers should just expect meaningful wage increases from wage boards. 

"Now that all regional wage boards have finished their deliberations, it has been proven once again that such institutions would only give insignificant, insulting wage adjustments." He said that workers were enraged that the 'hikes' in various regions only amounted to P5 to P20 for the basic pay, and P3 to P10 for the COLA. 

IBON foundation noted that the NCR minimum wage – after the wage board adjustment and one of the regions with the highest increase at that – is only 34% of the P871 current daily family cost of living, compared to it being 46% of the cost of living in January last year. 

"We call on all responsible sectors, the church, open-minded businessmen, etc., to support our legitimate demand for a meaningful across-the-board wage hike. No other stand can be more pro-people in this high time of crisis," Soluta said.