Senate blamed for wage bill death – BusinessWorld Online
A HOUSE of Representatives official said on Thursday that the Senate’s refusal to convene a bicameral conference committee prevented lawmakers from reconciling differences on wage hike bills before the congressional session ended.
In a statement, House Spokeswoman Priscilla Marie “Princess” T. Abante said that senators refused to meet their counterparts in a bicameral conference committee to resolve differences over wage hike amounts.
The Senate approved a P100 minimum wage hike for private-sector workers last year, while the House pushed for a P200 increase.
“Let’s not sugarcoat it — the Senate killed the P200 wage hike bill,” she said in mixed English and Filipino. “The Senate refused to negotiate. They just want their P100 proposal to be accepted.”
“We were ready to deliberate. We came in good faith. But what the Senate gave us was a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum,” she added.
The Philippine Congress adjourned on Wednesday without giving the final approval for the proposal to hike the minimum daily wage by P100-P200, after economic managers warned of its “dangerous repercussions” on the Philippine economy. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
