The Senate of the 19th Congress has simultaneously stalled
action on both the proposed wage hike and the impeachment case. Sen. Escudero
effectively killed the wage hike measure, while the impeachment case against
Vice President Sara Duterte is also poised to be dismissed today.
At a protest in front of the Senate this morning led by
Tindig Pilipinas, Nagkaisa Labor Coalition, Kalipunan, and Siklab, members of
Partido Manggagawa (PM), raised their voices against the Senate inaction: “No
impeachment, no wage hike? Nakakahiya na talaga kayo!”
“Impeach! Huwag Puro Insert sa National Budget,” a PM poster
displayed, referring to reported billions of insertions to the 2025 budget
allegedly orchestrated by Escudero.
The Senate plans to vote on whether to dismiss or not the
impeachment complaint following the Supreme Court’s decision declaring the
House’s impeachment process unconstitutional. But the House of Representatives
filed a motion for reconsideration before the high tribunal, while several
civil society organizations and former Justices also filed separate petitions
for intervention and asking the Court to declare a status quo ante and the
holding or oral arguments.
An outright dismissal is totally deplorable, according to PM
Secretary General Judy Miranda, since a bad Senate decision will have deep
repercussions for other equally important measures on accountability and social
justice.
The proposed wage hike and anti-endo bills have once again
been refiled in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
“Workers fight for their passage alongside the impeachment
case, as both good governance and raising the living standards of Filipinos are
constitutional duties of lawmakers,” Miranda said.
Photos can be accessed at the FB page: Partido Manggagawa
