Prices surge, but wages remain frozen

Partido Manggagawa (PM) criticized the government’s inaction on workers’ demand for a wage increase amid the spike in inflation to 7.2% this April from 4.1% in March.

 

“Prices of goods have been jumping sharply. But while BBM may have jumped to show he is physically fit, in reality the President is paralyzed when it comes to pushing for wage increases for workers,” said Renato Magtubo, PM Chairperson.

 

According to Magtubo, the surge in inflation this April will further worsen the erosion of the current minimum wage. The ₱695 minimum wage in the NCR has already lost ₱156 in value in the past month.

 

“Workers are already war-shocked by price hikes and bill shock. But even more shocking is the inaction of Malacañang and Congress on wage increases. There is a state of emergency, but the response is anything but urgent,” Magtubo added.

 

It can be recalled that workers gained no wage increase despite the widespread protests during the recent Labor Day.

 

PM reiterated its call for a ₱200 wage hike and for lowering prices by removing regressive taxes such as VAT on critical goods like oil and electricity.

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Hataw ang presyo pero sweldo walang galaw

 

Binatikos ng Partido Manggagawa (PM) ang kawalang aksyon ng pamahalaan sa kahilingan ng manggagawa sa dagdag-sweldo sa harap ng pagsirit ng inflation rate paakyat sa 7.2% ngayong Abril mula sa 4.1% noong Marso. 

 

“Naglundagan na paitaas ang presyo ng bilihin. Pero kung nakisabay lumundag si BBM para ipakitang healthy ang pangangatawan, sa realidad ay paralisado ang Pangulo sa pagtulak na dagdagan ang sweldo ng mga manggagawa,” pahayag ni Renato Magtubo, Tagapagulo ng PM. 

 

Ayon kay Magtubo, ang pagsirit ng implasyon ngayon Abril ay lalo lang magpapalaki sa wage erosion ng kasalukuyang minimum wage. Ang P695 na minimum wage dito sa NCR ay nabawasan na ng P156 sa nakaraang buwan. 

 

“Na-warshock na ang manggagawa ang price hikes at bill shock. Pero mas shocking ang kawalang aksyon ng Palasyo at Kongreso sa wage hike. May state of emergency pero hindi naman emergency ang kilos,” ani Magtubo.

 

Matatandaang walang napalang umento ang manggagawa sa kabila ng malawakang protesta sa nagdaang Mayo Uno. 

 

Muling iginiit ng PM ang panawagang P200 wage hike at pagpababa sa presyo sa pamamagitan ng pagtanggal ng regressive taxes tulad ng VAT sa kritikal na produkto tulad ng langis at kuryente.

PRESS RELEASE

Partido Manggagawa

Workers are the ones subsidizing government and business—Partido Manggagawa

 

“Workers are the ones providing subsidies to both government and business, yet we are the last ones to receive benefits and services,” stated Partido Manggagawa (PM) on the eve of Labor Day, countering the prevailing narrative that it is the government that subsidizes the poor.

 

“There are various forms of limited and patronage-based assistance, but the funds for these ultimately come from workers themselves. Even corporate profit, after taxes, is derived from labor. Everything comes from workers, yet BBM’s response to us this Labor Day is silence—we are being ghosted,” protested PM Chair Renato Magtubo.

 

Magtubo further explained that, as consumers, millions of workers pay regressive taxes such as excise taxes and value-added tax (VAT) multiple times on the goods and services they purchase. As metered customers of Meralco and other distribution utilities, they effectively subsidize the electricity bills of poorer households. As income earners, they pay personal income taxes once they exceed the exemption threshold. And as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), they remit billions of dollars to support their families’ consumption.

 

Labor groups are demanding a ₱200 wage increase and the enactment of a national minimum wage law. However, Malacañang and business groups continue to uphold a policy of wage restraint despite a ₱155 erosion in the real value of the minimum wage in the National Capital Region (NCR).

 

PM, under the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition, will join the National Wage Coalition in a unified WELGA march tomorrow morning, beginning at Welcome Rotonda and España Boulevard and proceeding to Mendiola. WELGA stands for: Wage Hike Now Toward a National Living Wage; Eliminate E-VAT and Review Income Tax; Impose Taxes on Excess Wealth and Profits; Make Prices Affordable; and Arrest All Corrupt Officials.

 

The Labor Day protests are nationwide. In Cebu, around 1,000 members of PM and SENTRO will assemble at 8:00 a.m. at Sto. Rosario Church before proceeding to Metro Gaisano on Colon Street. The group will then join other labor organizations for a joint program at Fuente Osmeña at approximately 10:00 a.m. In Bacolod, the PM chapter will hold an indoor assembly from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m., followed by a march along San Juan Street corner Gonzaga Street, and then proceed to Bacolod Plaza for a joint program with other workers’ groups. In Iloilo, PM will join United Labor in a march starting from the flyover in front of UP Visayas at 3:00 p.m., proceeding to the Iloilo Provincial Capitol for a program lasting until 5:00 p.m.

 

PM is also advancing an anti-war position, asserting that the United States–Israel alliance must be held accountable for its war of aggression against Iran and its impact on the global economy. Meanwhile, on the issue of corruption, PM Secretary General Judy Miranda emphasized that the struggle for good governance remains integral to labor’s advocacy, alongside urgent economic concerns such as wages and employment.

 

“All corrupt officials must be jailed, whether from the Duterte camp or the Marcos camp. Sure, bring down Sara—but also bring down the prices of basic goods,” Miranda stated.

PRESS RELEASE

Partido Manggagawa

May 1, 2026

HINDI KAMI MULTO: Workers are the ones subsidizing the government and business

 

“Manggagawa ang totoong nagbibigay ng subsidy sa gobyerno at negosyo subalit pinakahuli sa benepisyo at serbisyo,” stated Partido Manggagawa (PM) on the eve Labor Day, countering the prevailing narrative that it is the government that provides subsidy to the poor.

 

“May iba’t-ibang klase ng limitado at patronage na ayuda, pero galing din naman sa manggagawa ang pondo sa mga ito. Kahit ang yaman ng mga korporasyon, after taxes, ay sa labor din galing. Lahat ay galing sa manggagawa, pero ghosting ang tugon ni BBM sa amin ngayong Labor Day,” PM Chair Renato Magtubo protested.

 

Magtubo explained further that as consumers, millions of workers pay regressive taxes like excise and VAT multiple times for manufactured goods and services they purchase. As metered customers of Meralco and other distribution utilities, they are made to subsidize the power bills of their poorer neighbors. As income earners, they pay personal income taxes once the exemption level is breached. And as OFWs, they remit billions of dollars for their families to spend.  

 

Labor groups are demanding for a P200 wage hike and the enactment of the national minimum wage bill, but Malacañang and business groups maintain a policy of wage restraint despite a ₱155 erosion of the minimum wage in NCR.

 

Partido Manggagawa under the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition is joining other labor groups under the National Wage Coalition tomorrow morning, for a WELGA unified march from Welcome Rotonda and España Boulevard going to Mediola. PM members will also join the nationwide protests particularly in the cities of Cebu, Bacolod, and Iloilo.

 

WELGA stands for Wage Hike Now Tungo National Living Wage, E-VAT Tanggalin Income Tax Repasuhin, Lagyan ng Buwis ang Sobrang Yaman at Kita, Gawing Abot Kaya ang Presyo, and Arestuhin Lahat ng Kurakot.

 

PM is also taking an anti-war call, saying it is the US-Israel tandem which should be held accountable for their war of aggression on Iran and its impact on the global economy.

 

Meanwhile, on the issue of corruption, PM Secretary General Judy Miranda said the fight for good governance will always be a part of labor’s advocacy, along with topmost and urgent economic concerns like wages and jobs.

 

“Ikulong ang lahat ng korap, Duterte camp man yan o Marcos. Pababain si Sara, pero pababain din ang presyo ng mga bilihin,” Miranda said. ###

PM Statement on Negros 19

Partido Manggagawa joins the growing call for an immediate, independent, and impartial investigation into the Negros encounter that left 19 people dead, including a UP student and an independent media practitioner who reportedly were in the area for social research when the encounter happened.

 

The military’s claim of a legitimate operation does not settle the matter. The reported killing of non-combatants raises grave concerns of possible violations of international humanitarian law. Civilians, activists, and journalists are protected persons and must never be treated as casualties of war.

 

Accountability is non-negotiable. Any breach of the Geneva Conventions and human rights standards must be investigated and punished.

 

Beyond this incident, the cycle of violence will persist unless its roots are addressed. Government must confront the social and economic injustices driving the insurgency, while armed groups must reassess their strategy in winning power and pursuing political change.

 

Justice must be served. Lives lost demand nothing less. ###

Labor group asks BBM to ok wage petitions

 

The group Kapatiran ng mga Unyon at Samahang Manggagawa today called on President Bong Bong Marcos, Jr. to exercise moral suasion on the regional wage boards to immediately act on pending salary adjustment petitions. Yesterday, Kapatiran filed a petition for a P200 wage hike at the NCR wage board. Last March 27, a coalition of labor groups led by Partido Manggagawa and Sentro ng mga Progresibo at Nagkakaisang Manggagawa filed a similar petition for a P100 salary increase in Central Visayas. Next week, another alliance plans to submit a petition for a wage adjustment for Western Visayas workers.

 

“President Marcos, Jr., the P30 reduction in the price of LPG is not enough. Workers need a P200 wage hike. With great power comes great responsibility. Use your emergency powers to help workers. What kind of state of emergency is this if there are no ambulances for wage earners?” stated Rey Almendras, president of the group Kapatiran and also of the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Labor Union.

 

The wave of wage petitions foreshadows the suite of demands in the coming Labor Day protests next week. Aside from a wage hike, Labor Day demands include higher assistance for informal workers, improved public employment program, suspension of the excise tax on oil, abolition of the vat on oil and electricity, review of the oil deregulation law and electricity privatization, state-led renewable energy program and a stop to the US-Israel war on Iran. There are Labor Day marches planned in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, Bacolod and Iloilo by the group Partido Manggagawa in alliance with other labor organizations. Kapatiran is joining the planned Labor Day protest in Metro Manila.

 

Almendras insisted that “Lahat na nagtaas pero ang sweldo napako. Tama na. Sobra na. Umento na! High inflation due to the war on Iran constitutes a supervening event that necessitates the P200 wage hike. The government’s own data—from the Philippine Statistics Authority—reveals that the current P695 minimum wage in Metro Manila has an effective real value of only P539.18, representing a loss of P155.82 since 2018. We are not really asking for a wage hike but simply wage recovery.”

 

“The seriousness of the current economic conditions has been formally acknowledged by the National Security Council, which has declared that the Philippines is facing a socio-economic crisis. Sapat na itong batayan para sa deklarasyon ng supervening event,” Almendras argued. It is still two months before the lapse of one year after the last NCR wage order.

 

Photos of filing at PM FB: https://www.facebook.com/partidomanggagawa/ 

April 24, 2026

Kapatiran ng mga Unyon at Samahang Manggagawa