Minimum wage earners are poor according to PSA “fact reveal”

 

Photo from Rappler

The latest poverty statistics released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) last week show that families with a minimum wage earner as a breadwinner live below the poverty line. “PSA’s ‘fact reveal’ exposes the sad truth that minimum wage earners are working poor as their families survive below the poverty threshold which is unrealistically low. Thus, the urgency of a PhP 150 legislated across-the-board wage hike for all workers,” stated PM national chair and a Marikina city councilor.

 

“The minimum wage is highest in Metro Manila, where the wage board has already granted an adjustment last month. Yet the monthly income of a minimum wage earner in NCR is just PhP 14,190 (P645 x 22 working days). This falls below the PhP 15,713 poverty threshold in Metro Manila, according to the PSA,” Magtubo explained.

 

He added that the same working poor scenario exists for minimum wage earners in highly industrialized areas like Calabarzon, Central Luzon and Cebu. “The ‘minimum wage-poverty threshold gap’ is worse for workers in Calabarzon, Central Luzon and Cebu where no salary adjustment has been granted yet by the inutile wage boards. In Calabarzon the monthly minimum wage is PhP 11,440 but the poverty threshold is PhP 15,457. In Central Luzon the wage is PhP 11,000 but the threshold is PhP 16,046. Finally, in Cebu the monthly minimum wage is PhP 10,296 while the poverty threshold is PhP 14,397. The minimum wage-poverty threshold deficit ranges from PhP 4,000 to 5,000 in a month for these industrialized areas where minimum wages are higher than the rest of the country, except Metro Manila,” Magtubo elaborated.

 

He called for a legislated across-the-board wage hike of P150 to recover the lost purchasing power of workers nationwide. PM is calling on Congress to act on the demand for a salary increase.

 

Magtubo added that “It is a scandal that the minimum wage—which is a floor supposed to protect workers and their families—fails to rise above the poverty threshold. And this holds not just for Metro Manila but for all regions. We are a nation of working poor. Sa kabila ng sipag at tyaga ng mga manggagawa, nanatiling mahirap ang kanilang mga pamilya.”

 

“Further, we can question the accuracy of the poverty threshold estimates. Suffice it to say that even Sec. Balisacan found it difficult to defend the P64 food poverty threshold and stated that it needs revision. This admission from officials is good to hear but action from government is what the working poor need,” Magtubo averred.

August 19, 2024

“Gutom Na Pilipino” (GNP) persists despite economic growth

Photo from UCA News

“The phenomenon of Filipinos going hungry persists despite 30 years of economic growth. Sa mga komunidad, madami ang gutom na Pilipino o GNP. This is the GNP that we see is increasing,” according to Judy Miranda, secretary general of the group Partido Manggagawa (PM). This was PM ‘s reaction to the statement yesterday of Finance Undersecretary Domini Velasquez that poverty will be reduced to single digits by 2028.

 

Miranda asserted that “The government is able to brag about a low poverty incidence because it uses a depressed poverty threshold. Even Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan finds it difficult to defend the low poverty line that he promises a review of the unrealistic basket of goods used.”

 

“We ask Undersecretary Velasquez, what are the planned government interventions so that poverty is reduced to below 10% by the end of President Bongbong Marcos, Jr.’s administration? If this forecast is merely based on continued economic growth, this prediction is misguided as it assumes that everyone benefits from a rise in gross national product. GNP increases just means more gutom na Pilipino. Trickle-down economics is a scam. Di na magpapabudol ang manggagawa sa trickle-down.” Miranda explained.

 

She added that “Workers have certainly not benefited from the robust economic growth or GNP increases. Data provided by former Finance Undersecretary Karl Chua already revealed that the economy doubled from 2001 to 2016 and labor productivity increased by half yet real wages remained flat. Meaning, the size of the economic pie expanded but the slice taken by workers stayed the same. The capital-labor share of incomes is skewed against the working class.”

 

PM avers that Filipinos will not feel the predicted poverty reduction unless that are asset redistribution programs, targeted income transfers, and expansion of public services. “We reiterate our demand for a P150 legislated across-the-board salary increase, maternity benefits for informal women equivalent to 44 days of minimum wage, and provision of public laundromats in poor communities. These are concrete examples of actions that can reduce poverty, especially for women,” Miranda concluded.

August 18, 2024

Minimum wage earner families are food poor—Partido Manggagawa

Photo from Panay News

The P64 food poverty threshold means that families with a minimum wage earner as breadwinner are food poor. This is the reaction of the labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) to NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan’s statement on the latest poverty threshold estimates. Tomorrow, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is set to hold a presscon to announce the results of the poverty survey for the full year of 2023.

 

“Basing on the publicly available PSA data, the first semester 2023 poverty threshold for Metro Manila is P18,704, of which P13,061 is the allocation for food. The minimum wage for Metro Manila, which was increased last month, is just P645 per day or P16,770 for one month. Thus, the income of a family of five with a minimum wage earner as breadwinner falls well below the poverty line and is food poor,” explained Rene Magtubo, PM national chair and a Marikina city councilor.

 

He called for a legislated across-the-board wage hike of P150 to recover the lost purchasing power of workers nationwide. PM is calling on Congress to act on the demand for a salary increase.

 

The P13,061 poverty food threshold for Metro Manila in the first semester of 2023 implies that a person needs more than P87 per day to be considered not poor. This is above the P64 mentioned by Sec. Balisacan which refers to the national average for the full year of 2023. Magtubo declared that “The P64 food poverty threshold is well above NCR’s food poverty threshold since the cost of living is higher in the capital. But despite the higher minimum wage in Metro Manila that is still not enough to sustain a family. Therefore, workers deserve a wage hike.”

 

He added that “It is a scandal that the minimum wage—which is a floor supposed to protect workers and their families—fails to rise above the poverty threshold. And this holds not just for Metro Manila but for all regions. We are a nation of working poor. Sa kabila ng sipag at tyaga ng mga manggagawa, nanatiling mahirap ang kanilang mga pamilya.”

 

“Further, we can question the accuracy of the poverty threshold estimates. Suffice it to say that even Sec. Balisacan found it difficult to defend the P64 food poverty threshold and stated that it needs revision. This admission from officials is good to hear but action from government is what the working poor need,” Magtubo averred.

August 14, 2024

Youth Stand Up Against Multiple Crises, Including the Climate Emergency

 

On International Youth Day, various youth groups declared their commitment to fighting multiple crises, including the worsening climate emergency, which they believe is causing great suffering and threatening the future of the youth.

 

Among those who participated in the Youth Day action with the call "Towards a Just and Sustainable Future," held this afternoon at Timog Circle, was the Partido Manggagawa – Kabataan (PMK).

 

According to Ferdinand Sanchez, spokesperson of PMK, "Today's youth are facing severe crises caused by the greed of the wealthy and corporations, which continue to worsen the state of our society."

 

He added that education is focused on serving foreign interests and the rich, and that poverty and inequality continue to burden our families and youth.

 

"Despite all of this, we must not be disheartened. The crises we face are not natural conditions but the result of a greedy and unjust system—a system that we can and must fight against," Sanchez declared.

 

PMK also emphasized that beyond these issues, the climate crisis poses the gravest threat to the future of the youth.

 

"This is not just an issue for a few; it is a concern for all of us. The recent typhoons and monsoon rains that flooded our streets and homes are just a preview of what could happen in the future. If the youth do not act, and if corporations and governments are not held accountable, we will continue to sink deeper into poverty and disaster," Sanchez explained.

 

He emphasized that the time has come to collectively push for real change—a society that prioritizes people over profit and advocates for a just and sustainable future for all. 

PRESS RELEASE

Partido Manggagawa – Kabataan

August 10, 2024