“P20 rice di sapat, P200 umento din dapat”—labor group

Press Release

May 1, 2025

 

Judy Ann Miranda, secretary general of the group Partido Manggagawa stated that “P20 bigas ay di sapat, P200 umento din dapat. Offering cheap rice is not enough, as Malacanang seems to think. P200 wage hike plus P20 subsidized rice are initial steps to alleviate the conditions of poor and hungry Filipinos. We ask President Bong Bong Marcos to certify as urgent the pending P200 salary increase bill in Congress.”

 

Labor unions and workers groups are all set for nationwide rallies tomorrow to push their demand for a legislated wage hike.

·        Manila: Groups comprising National Wage Coalition will assemble along various points in España then march at 7:00 am to Mendiola for a joint program. PM and allied groups Kapatiran, PM Kabataan, Tara Kabataan, Dakila and Ina ng Bayan will assemble at Petron Blumentritt at 6:30 am

·        Cebu: Various labor groups will converge at Fuente Osmeña, Cebu City at 9:00 am

for a joint program

·        Bacolod: Sugar farm workers and allied groups will hold an indoor assembly in the morning. In the afternoon, they will assemble at Rizal Elementary School then march to Bacolod Plaza afternoon

·        Iloilo: The coalition United Labor will hold a program at 1:00 pm in front of UP Visayas

·        Iligan: Unions will hold a rally in the morning at the plaza with the city’s tripartite industrial peace council

 

Miranda added that “Apat na Dapat dahil P20 bigas ay di sapat!” Apat na Dapat refers to the labor agenda of wage hikes, regular employment, public services and no political dynasties. Miranda asked the government to “Complement the roll out of the P20 subsidized rice with certification of the P200 wage hike—if BBM is serious in responding to worsening hunger and poverty in the country.”

 

She insisted that “Filipino workers are amplifying their demands for higher wages, regular employment, and accessible public services amid worsening economic conditions. Recent surveys reveal the deepening crisis: over one in four Filipino families experience involuntary hunger, the highest rate since the pandemic, while more than half consider themselves poor, the worst in 21 years.”

 

Miranda added that “Reality on the ground contradicts the government’s rosy economic claims of low inflation and unemployment. The reality is stark: minimum wages remain below the poverty threshold, endo is rampant, and public services like PhilHealth are being gutted to fund political patronage.”

 

Many of the Labor Day events tomorrow will be joint activities of different workers groups. “While political dynasties like the Marcoses and Dutertes battle for power and loot public coffers, workers face hunger and exploitation. Enough of elite theatrics—Labor Day must unite workers across factions, regions, and generations behind a shared platform. On Labor Day, labor groups will be rallying together despite electoral divides, prioritizing workers’ demands over partisan loyalties,” Miranda ended. ###