On Labor Day, and with the mid-term elections approaching, KMU Negros and MAKABAYAN Negros called on the public to place wages and livelihoods at the center of the national conversation as a central electoral issue.
In the midst of both global and local economic crises, workers, farmers, and the poor continue to be left behind, a joint press statement issued by KMU Negros and MAKABAYAN Negros said.
At the international level, economic tensions between the United States and China continue to escalate. Donald Trump’s renewed push for protectionist policies as he returns back to office has brought fresh disruptions to global trade. Tariffs, trade barriers, and disruptions in supply chains are already affecting countries like the Philippines. Under Marcos Jr., there is no clear effort to shield local industries from these shocks. Instead, the country remains heavily reliant on foreign imports, foreign loans, and foreign interests.
Locally, the crisis has deepened under the Marcos Jr. administration. Prices of goods, services, and taxes continue to rise, while workers’ incomes remain low and inadequate. According to the IBON Foundation, the family living wage for a family of five is P1,200 per day, which is far from the current minimum wage in the region of only P440 to P480.
In Negros, the situation is even more dire. It is not just about low income, it is outright exploitation. Among farmworkers and sugarcane laborers, daily earnings can be as low as P200 despite the backbreaking work. Meanwhile, landlords and hacienda owners continue to profit off the land’s wealth.
Instead of addressing the crisis, Marcos Jr. is preoccupied with spectacle and political theatrics. He is once again peddling his old promise of P20 per kilo of rice, a false pledge from 2022 that is now being recycled for electoral gain. This is no real solution. What is needed is the repeal of the Rice Liberalization Law, an anti-farmer measure that destroyed local production and drove farmers into deeper poverty.
At the same time, the rising costs of essential services like water, electricity, and hospital care due to privatization show the government’s failure to ensure affordable social services. BAYAN MUNA and the broader Makabayan bloc have long demanded the removal of excise taxes on oil and basic goods to provide immediate relief to the people.
This is not just about raising wages. This is about securing real, lasting change. That is why the MAKABAYAN bloc and progressive candidates are once again calling for national industrialization and genuine land reform. Only by building our own industries, breaking foreign control over the economy, and reclaiming national wealth for the people can we secure living wages, affordable food, and quality public services.
This election, do not be deceived by the promise of P20 rice, fake aid, or flashy vanity projects. Fight for a life of dignity. Push for national minimum wage of P1,200. Reject anti-people laws. Support national industrialization and genuine agrarian reform, the press release ended.
PARTIDO MANGGAGAWA
Judy Ann Miranda, secretary general of Partido Manggagawa, said they are asking President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to certify as urgent the pending P200 salary increase bill in Congress.
Miranda said “Apat na Dapat dahil P20 bigas ay di sapat!” Apat na Dapat refers to the labor agenda of wage hikes, regular employment, public services, and no political dynasties. She asked the government to “complement the roll out of the P20 subsidized rice with certification of the P200 wage hike—if BBM is serious in responding to worsening hunger and poverty in the country.”
Miranda insisted that “Filipino workers are amplifying their demands for higher wages, regular employment, and accessible public services amid worsening economic conditions. Recent surveys reveal the deepening crisis: over one in four Filipino families experience involuntary hunger, the highest rate since the pandemic, while more than half consider themselves poor, the worst in 21 years.”
She averred that “Reality on the ground contradicts the government’s rosy economic claims of low inflation and unemployment. The reality is stark: minimum wages remain below the poverty threshold, endo is rampant, and public services like PhilHealth are being gutted to fund political patronage.”
Many of the Labor Day events were joint activities of different workers groups. “While political dynasties like the Marcoses and Dutertes battle for power and loot public coffers, workers face hunger and exploitation. Enough of theatrics—Labor Day must unite workers across factions, regions, and generations behind a shared platform. On Labor Day, labor groups will be rallying together despite electoral divides, prioritizing workers’ demands over partisan loyalties,” Miranda ended.*
