Saturday, July 26, 2025

TUCP urges Marcos to prioritize wage hike in SONA



The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to cover both a legislated wage hike and decent employment in his upcoming fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA).

In a statement. TUCP party-list Rep. Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza cited the June 2025 Pulse Asia survey, which shows that most Filipinos want inflation, wages, peace & order, employment, and poverty tackled in the SONA.

The May 2025 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey also found that 92 percent of Filipinos believe the Senate should prioritize increasing the minimum wage, while 95 percent said the same for the House of the new 20th Congress.

“We are halfway through the Marcos administration, and this is the moment of truth. The state of the Filipino worker must be at the heart of this SONA,” Mendoza said.

He added that many people cannot go to work now to provide enough for their loved ones or even return home because entire communities remain submerged in floodwater.

“Mr. President, they are desperately looking for a beacon of hope. That hope lies in your swift certification of the P200 legislated daily minimum wage hike as urgent and your inclusion of bills for security of tenure and freedom of association to organize and collectively bargain for all workers in both the private sector and the government in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) agenda,” Mendoza said. - By Vito Barcelo