The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday to support the immediate passage of a legislated ₱200 across-the-board wage increase.
In its statement, TUCP emphasized the need for national unity in addressing the plight of Filipino workers, many of whom are in a dire “kapit sa patalim” (clinging to a knife) situation, a crisis often overlooked due to prevailing political distractions.
Representing the country’s labor force, TUCP appealed to the President to endorse the wage hike as an urgent legislative priority and ensure its approval before the 19th Congress ends.
This appeal comes in light of Executive Order No. 84, which recently increased the daily subsistence allowance of military personnel by ₱200, recognizing that the previous rate could no longer sustain the basic needs of an active-duty soldier.
Citing a March 2025 national survey by Stratbase and Social Weather Stations, TUCP highlighted that 27.2% of Filipinos suffer from involuntary hunger—the highest rate recorded since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Emotions fanned by social media are running high, but sadly, it has not been about the dire situation of Filipino workers and their families —their desperation for a take-home pay that affords them three (3) nutritious meals on the table, which addresses the increasing stunting of our children, and which can ensure that our future workforce will be competitive in the ASEAN. Has the political climate made our society too jaded to poverty and the daily sufferings of our people that all political players have diverted their attention to political wranglings?” TUCP questioned.
They further lamented how workers are often the silent victims of political conflict.
“It has always been ordinary Filipinos—workers and their families—who have been the unwitting collateral damage caught in the political crossfires of competing ambitions. Desperate for action instead of distraction, Filipino working families are calling on our public servants—both sitting and aspiring—to focus on what truly matters to us: a ₱200 wage hike to survive!” the group said.
TUCP stressed that over five million minimum wage earners remain stuck in poverty, burdened by long hours and inadequate pay. The group criticized regional wage increases as “nothing but crumbs” that rarely benefit workers directly.
They added that instead of tackling workers’ urgent needs, public discourse is dominated by political conflicts, which only deepen public despair.
“Instead of the urgent wage hike that workers desperately need, all we see is chaotic political wrangling that defeats optimism and crushes hope, if there’s any left at all. What remains is growing public frustration—frustration that demands the abolition of the failed regional wage board system and a call for Congress to finally take over and pass the ₱200 legislated wage hike into law.”
