THE DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment (DoLE) should revise its method of computing wage increases to address rising prices, a congressman said on Wednesday.
Party-List Rep. Arlene D. Brosas said the agency’s metrics are outdated and out of touch with Filipinos’ needs.
The National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) used poverty threshold data from 2021 as a reference for a P35 Metro Manila wage hike in July, which increased minimum wages in the capital region to P645 from P610, according to Executive Director Ma. Criselda R. Sy.
“If it’s this outdated, with our references [for wage hikes] being from three years ago, it seems like the DoLE needs to change its position on increasing wages,” she said at a House of Representatives hearing on the agency’s budget for next year. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
