Wage hike bill dead; House blames Senate

The House of Representatives spokesperson condemned the Senate for “killing” the legislated wage hike bill by refusing to convene a bicameral conference committee on the final night of the 19th Congress session.

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In a statement, House spokesperson Princess Abante described the Senate’s action as a “deliberate act that led to the bill’s death on the final night of session.”

“Let’s not sugarcoat it — the Senate killed the P200 wage hike bill,” Abante said in a statement.

“Last night was the final session of the 19th Congress. No bicam. No compromise. No wage hike. And the reason is simple: ‘Ayaw ng Senado makipag-usap. Gusto nila, tanggapin na lang nang buo ang P100 nila. Bakit? Bakit binabarya ng Senado ang mga manggagawa?’” she added.

(Last night was the final session of the 19th Congress. No bicam. No compromise. No wage hike. And the reason is simple: ‘The Senate didn’t want to talk. They wanted us to just accept their P100 in full. Why? Why is the Senate shortchanging the workers?)

Abante said the House’s bicameral conferees were fully prepared to meet and reconcile the differences between the two versions of the bill, but were left stunned by the Senate’s inaction.

“Our bicam conferees raised their eyebrows when asked what happened. They were ready to sit down, defend the P200 proposal, and fight for labor — only to find out the Senate had no intention of meeting at all,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino.

The House earlier approved its version of the bill—which proposed a P200 daily wage increase on third reading last June 4.