No financial subsidy to minimum wage earners

By Jinky Jorgio

The National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) admitted that government economic manages have officially thumbed down the proposal of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to grant financial subsidy to minimum-wage earners.

According to NWPC Executive Director Maria Criselda R. Sy, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) had already rejected the proposal of DOLE to extend aid to marginalized workers similar to the unconditional cash transfer (UCT) profram of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) or the so-called 4Ps during the last administration.

Sy said that DBM told them the 30 percent revenue coming from TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) is already allotted to DSWD. Aside from DWSD, the TRAIN revenue will also be used by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for its gas subsidy for public-utility vehicles through its Pantawid Pasada cash card program.

Intially, DOLE is pushing for P200 monthly financial subsidy for minimum-wage earners this year. The amount was supposed to be increased gradually during the course of its implementation up to 2020.

However, there still good news, Sy added. The DBM and Department of Finance (DOF) are now in the process of finalizing a joint memorandum circular which will provide unemployed and jobless workers with noncash benefits.

The noncash benefits will be a training from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and discount from the National Food Authority.

Meanwhile, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPBs) have already raise the minimum-wage rates in different regions including the Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions 1, 3, 4A, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.