The Solidarity of Cavite Workers (SCW) welcomed with high hopes Sen. Bong Revilla’s filing  of Senate Bill 1981 to strengthen the workers clamour for the P125 legislated wage increase.

SCW chair Merly Grafe  said “The workers with the Solidarity of Cavite Workers (SCW) hails Sen. Bong Revilla in filing a bill that would benefit the workers much. Especially during this time that prices of basic commodities and fares in public transport soared rendering the seventeen-peso increase in the minimum wage in January this year in the CALABARZON Region useless.”

“It is a relief that there is still one lawmaker in Cavite who has not failed his duty for his constituents. Not like Cong. Jesus Crispin Remulla who opposed the P125 wage hike bill in 2004,”Grafe added.

While the bill of Sen. Revilla proposes a wage hike of P125, it will be given for three consecutive years. However, this is far better than the Aquino Administration’s position on giving the workers non-wage benefits. With this bill, if passed into law, it will benefit all workers across the country.

On the other hand, Rev. Fr. Jose Dizon, Executive Director of the Cavite-based Workers Assistance Center (WAC) calls on the Aquino administration to abandon its opposition on the legislated P125 wage hike and certify the two bills in Congress and Senate as urgent.

“Mr. Aquino is not only doing a disservice to lowly-paid workers in this time of crisis, he is blatantly showing his indifference to the fullest,” said Fr. Dizon.

“There is still a long way to go before this legislated wage increase could be passed into law but we would continue to struggle for its realization. We hope that lawmakers would immediately pass the House Bill 375 and the Senate Bill 1981 into law,” Grafe said with optimism.