A CONGRESSMAN is pushing for a P650 national minimum wage, citing inflation concerns and inequitable salaries of workers in various regions.

Kabayan Party list Rep. Ron P. Salo said he had filed a bill that calls for a national minimum wage and the abolition of the regional wage board system.

Mr. Salo said the cost of living in the provinces have also gone up, adding that wages in the private sector were getting behind.

Minimum wages in the Philippines follow a two-tiered system and the amount varies per region. Metro Manila enjoys the highest minimum wage in non-agriculture establishments at P537, while the Ilocos region’s minimum wage is P282 for agriculture workers.

The current wage system is determined by a Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board. The law allows wage hikes once a year.

A similar bill was filed in the previous Congress but it did not go beyond the committee level. — Gillian M. Cortez

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