IT IS okay but not alright. How can ordinary workers be satisfied with Wage Order 24 that mandates a P41.50 increase in their daily wage? The said amount would bring the minimum wage to P365 or almost P11,000 if computed monthly. This is way below the P42,000 monthly income that every family of five members needs to have a decent living, according to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).
But the powerless and embattled workers have no option other than to accept it even if it is not enough for them. That is what the employers can afford to give considering the prevailing economic situation, based on the deliberations by and among members of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (LTFRB)-Western Visayas.
Definitely, the wage increase can hardly mitigate the miserable living condition being suffered by the workers and their families.
However, much to the desire of the government to grant the demands of the labor sector, they need a balancing act. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), which heads all RTWPBs, is sandwiched between the pressure from laborers pushing for a higher wage increase and the insistence of the employers to approve what they claimed as "business-friendly" salary hike.
So, DOLE has to make sure that any wage increase will be acceptable to both parties to appease the local pressure groups - labor and management.
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Under the current system, which is very similar to a circus, it is the labor department that has mastered and performed the acrobatic act of maintaining a balance between two opposing interests.
Is Congressman Stephen Paduano of Abang Lingkod party-list serious in seeking Bacolod's mayoral post? He has yet to show proof that, indeed, he is, otherwise his public pronouncement that he is considering a run for the city's mayorship was just a verbal exhibition.
First, Paduano is not a registered voter of Bacolod and the law requires that all candidates seeking public office are residents of the place where they are running. The party-list solon has yet to satisfy this requirement.
Second, Paduano is an ally of Third District Congressman Alfredo Abelardo "Albee" Benitez and so is incumbent Mayor Evelio "Bing" Leonardia. Will Benitez allow his allies in the city to fight each other while he is trying to unite political organizations in Negros Occidental. It does not sound logical.
Lastly, should Benitez decide to run for senator, Paduano will be one of his national political operators. How then can Paduano launch a local campaign granting that he is a mayoral wannabe?
From all indications, the talk about Paduano's mayoral ambition is what it is - mere talk.
