“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
