AnaKalusugan Party-list Rep. Ray T. Reyes reiterated the commitment of the House of Representatives to lowering the cost of living in the country and providing more social services to Filipinos.
“Hindi lang pagtaas ng sweldo ang ating tinitignan kundi kung gaano natin tutugunan ang pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin at mga bayarin,” Reyes said.
“Dito sa Congress, maliban sa pagtaas ng sahod, we can offer the public an additional value: ipaglalaban din namin ang pagbaba ng presyo ng gastusin: yung mapamura ang bilihin, mababang kuryente, at libreng pagamot,” he added.
The lawmaker said easing the cost of living will enable Filipinos to save and invest in other areas in their lives.
According to Reyes, the House of Representatives is currently looking at a P150 – P350 daily minimum wage increase for all private sector workers which is higher than the P100 proposed by the Senate.
“Hindi lang ang wage hike ang titignan natin dito. Hindi lang kung gaano kalaki ang sweldo kundi gaano kalaki ang naiipon natin pagkatapos nating bayaran ang ating mga bayarin. Lahat ng aspeto aming binabantayan sa Kongreso,” he said.
“This is the beauty of having a Congress that encompasses all aspects of the lives of the Filipinos, we could do it better. Having a responsive and quick to the results Congress assures the public that the Congressmen here hindi lang isang aspeto ang tutugunan namin but the whole dimension of what it means to live in a sustainable society,” he added.
According to Reyes, the House of Representatives is currently looking at a P150 – P350 daily minimum wage increase for all private sector workers which is higher than the P100 proposed by the Senate.
He said that while the House of Representatives recognizes the need to support workers, it also must ensure sustainability for businesses.
“I believe the initial proposal is 100 pesos. Sa amin po and based on street opinion, most of the MSMEs can tolerate a certain amount. However, we have to test where the balance point is para sa wage hike,” he said.
“We are definitely not taking the potential repercussions of wage increase on employment rates and business viability lightly. We will not rush and we will make sure that we only pass legislation that is beneficial for the long term,” he added.
