LABOR leader and senatorial aspirant Atty. Luke Espiritu has called for a ₱750 increase in the minimum wage, criticizing the current rates as “starvation wages” that keep workers below the poverty line.
Espiritu, president of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, argued that even full-time workers struggle to make ends meet. “You don’t need to be jobless or unemployed to be below the poverty line. Here in the Philippines, even if you’re a worker, you are below the poverty line. And that is an anomaly. When you are employed yet you still get hungry, that is really an anomaly,” he said in an interview with one media source.
Citing a conservative estimate, Espiritu said a daily wage of ₱1,200 is needed for a worker to afford basic necessities.
Raising the minimum wage by ₱750 would bring rates closer to that level, particularly in Metro Manila, where the current minimum wage is ₱645.
However, business groups have expressed concerns over a proposed ₱200 daily wage increase, warning of its impact on operational costs and competitiveness.
Espiritu dismissed these concerns, saying businesses oppose wage hikes regardless of the amount.
“They are complaining about the ₱200 daily minimum wage increase, but in reality, they would complain about any amount. Because generally, they really don’t want to raise the wages of workers. They want the salary to be kept as starvation wages,” he said.
CALLS FOR OIL AND POWER INDUSTRY REGULATION
Espiritu also vowed to push for stronger government regulation of the oil and power industries to protect consumers from rising fuel and electricity prices.
He criticized the Oil Deregulation Law and called for its repeal, arguing that oil prices must be regulated due to their broad impact on the economy.
“If the oil industry is not regulated, there will be succeeding problems that will occur. When petroleum and fuel prices increase, the cost of production will increase, and then the economy and livelihood of the people will suffer. So the government should really regulate the oil industry,” he said.
The labor leader also pushed for the repeal of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), saying it failed to introduce real competition in the power sector.
Instead, he claimed it allowed monopolistic practices that keep electricity prices high.
“How can you introduce competition as being a solution to prices in an industry of natural monopolies? When there are power producers, there is no one else to buy but them. Then the power distributor and the power generator also conspire,” Espiritu said.
OPPOSITION TO CONFIDENTIAL AND INTELLIGENCE FUNDS
Espiritu also criticized the allocation of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) to civilian government agencies, calling the practice “absurd” and a misuse of public money.
“Remove that from agencies that are not involved in intelligence gathering and do not use confidential funds,” he said, emphasizing that even the Office of the President (OP) and the Office of the Vice President (OVP) should not be exempted.
Data from the Commission on Audit (COA) revealed that the OP was the top CIF spender in 2023, with ₱4.56 billion in expenses, followed by the Department of Justice and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
The OVP, which has faced scrutiny over its confidential fund spending, recorded ₱375 million in expenses—outpacing even the National Defense and Security agencies.
As Espiritu pushes for labor rights and economic reforms, his proposals are expected to spark further debate as the 2025 midterm elections approach.