Today’s P695 daily minimum wage in Metro Manila is not just inadequate—it is a moral and economic failure. Economic studies show that workers need approximately P1,300 daily to meet basic family needs, yet they earn less than half of that amount. This is not a matter of debate; it is a matter of survival.
Sadly, what we are witnessing is a masterclass double-talk argument of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) that businesses “cannot absorb” wage increases. Yet, they are the same corporations that extract record profits while their workers starve. They demand government tax cuts instead of accepting responsibility for fair compensation of their own employees. They threaten “job losses” as if the current minimum wage has not destroyed their employees’ purchasing power and economic dignity.
Now the situation has become critically urgent, Transportation costs have skyrocketed, Supply chains are disrupted, inflation is expected to reach 6.3% annually and families are now choosing between food and electricity.
This emergency increase cannot wait for the 12-month wage cycle of the regional wage board this coming July because the people are already grappling with increased bills today. With inflation at 4.1% (and likely higher), the real value of their P695 daily wage is collapsing in real-time and this means lost purchasing power and deepening poverty.
The Marcos administration should not listen to ECOP on its argument that “Businesses can’t absorb wage increases during energy crises” and that government should cut taxes instead of raising wages”. They should instead learn from the best experiences of several nations during their past energy crisis.
Internationals models have proven that wage suppression plus energy crisis will only lead to more economic contraction. Workers lose purchasing power, consumer spending collapses, businesses lose revenue (job losses follow), governments must increase welfare spending anyway, and the result: Worse economic outcomes.
In 2022-2023 Germany’s businesses gave a 15% wage increase during their worse energy crisis. and survived. In 2021—23 Australia’s businesses thrived with wage increases and energy caps.
The same in 2022, with Denmark, Portugal, registering economic growth and jobs improvement. Worthy of note is that the German and Australian economies had more small/medium enterprises than our country. In 1997-98, South Korea increased wages during energy crises and their economy grew by 5 to 7 percent.
Countries that chose to freeze or suppress worker wages failed. England in 2022 and 2023 suffered -0.8 economic loss and had 4.2 percent job losses. Spain experienced a -0.3 percent economic loss and 13.2 percent job losses.
Successful countries did BOTH: They raised wages (worker purchasing power) cut/deferred taxes (business support) and added energy subsidies (universal relief). This clearly means that tax cuts alone don’t help workers; wage increases really help.
The pattern is clear! Countries with higher minimum wages-maintained employment during their energy crises such as Denmark, Portugal, Germany, Australia and South Korea. This is because their workers had living wages to spend locally, stimulate business growth and fuel long-term economic productivity.
On the other hand, countries that suppressed wages saw job losses and economic failure such as UK and Spain
The bottom line here is simple. Political will is about what leaders choose to prioritize.
First, the Marcos jr. administration must override the 12-month wage cycle due to the ongoing emergencies from the Middle East and the Mayon eruption and immediately increase minimum wages to a livable level. Second, it must tax corporate profits especially oil companies’ windfall gains to fund wage increases. And third, it must implement progressive relief measures and support micro-enterprises without sacrificing worker dignity.
Waiting until July while families face May’s energy bills, Mayon’s displacement, and inflation’s ravages is not prudent governance—it is complicity in preventable suffering.
The nation must act NOW. Increasing the NCR daily minimum wage to more than a thousand pesos is not a luxury—it is the bare minimum for human dignity of all working Filipinos. (next story)
Mayor Belmonte’s triumph: Quezon City wins global recognition again
In a stunning display of leadership and commitment to social progress, Mayor Joy Belmonte has again brought tremendous honor to Quezon City by earning prestigious international recognition at two landmark conferences held in Melbourne, Australia.
At the @women_deliver conference 2026—the world’s largest gathering on gender equality with over 6,000 distinguished delegates—Quezon City was officially celebrated as an “International Caring City.” This remarkable designation reflects Mayor Belmonte’s unwavering dedication to protecting and uplifting society’s most vulnerable members: children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, marginalized women, those deprived of liberty, and individuals living with HIV.
The recognition particularly highlighted the city’s robust care infrastructure and its proactive stance against gender-based violence—a testament to Mayor Belmonte’s visionary approach to building a truly inclusive community.
As a keynote speaker at the prestigious City Hub and Network for Gender Equity (CHANGE) Global Summit 2026, Mayor Belmonte showcased Quezon City’s innovative climate initiatives. Her presentation of the “Enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan” and the city’s active participation in C40 CITIES—a global network championing climate justice—demonstrated that Quezon City is not merely responding to environmental challenges but actively shaping solutions.
Inspired by international best practices, Mayor Belmonte has committed to implementing successful models such as Bogota’s “care blocks” of Mayor Claudia Lopez-Hernandez in Colombia and New York City USA Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s universal childcare program for babies aged 1 to 3.
In February, Quezon City was selected as one of only 72 newly added cities to the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC). It commended Mayor Belmonte’s comprehensive vision for lifelong learning, with strengthened public education, expanded scholarship and tutoring plus vibrant cultural activities outside of the classroom.
In a remarkable single year haul in 2025, the QC LGU received more than 145 awards and recognitions from international bodies, national agencies and civic institutions. This is what I call a public ledger of trust earned, systems rebuilt and priorities put squarely on its QCitizens.
These accolades stand as powerful validation of Mayor Belmonte’s transformative leadership and Quezon City’s emergence as a beacon of progress on the world stage.