Press Release
22 January 2013
Labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno hailed today boxing champ and Sarangani representative Manny Pacquiao’s push for the approval of a bill that seeks to legislate a P125 across-the-board wage hike nationwide, saying the Pacman is showing courage outside the ring in supporting the bill.
In a letter dated Jan. 21 to Northern Samar Rep. Emil L. Ong, chairperson of the House Committee on Labor and Employment, Pacquiao expressed full support for the Subcommittee on Labor Standards’ approval of House Bill 375, also known as the P125 Wage Hike Bill, last Jan. 18.
He called on the COLE “to immediately approve the bill, create a committee report, and submit it to the House Plenary for possible deliberation and voting,” adding that the bill “is urgently needed now after more than two decades of almost stagnant wages.”
“We are so glad that Cong. Manny continues to lend his influence to workers’ fight for a significant wage hike. We hope that the COLE and other congressmen will heed his call for support for the P125 Wage Hike Bill,” said Lito Ustarez, KMU vice-chairperson.
“Cong. Manny continues to show that he sides with the Filipino workers and the masa, from whose ranks he comes from. He is showing courage outside the ring in defying the powers-that-be who are stepping up their opposition to the P125 Wage Hike Bill,” he added.
“Whether his call is heard within the House of Representatives or not, the Filipino workers and people hear him loud and clear. He is an inspiration for us to intensify our fight for the P125 Wage Hike Bill’s passage before the 15th Congress ends,” he said.
In the same letter, the boxing champ called on his colleagues in the House of Representatives “to pass the P125 Wage Hike Bill in [the House’s] remaining nine session days.”
“We are glad that Cong. Manny stands firm by his defense of the P125 Wage Hike Bill against its detractors. He knows that threats of massive layoffs and high inflation are part of the government and big capitalists’ attempt to blackmail workers into accepting poverty wages,” Ustarez said.
“Big capitalists have been tireless in promoting lies against a significant wage hike in order to protect their huge profits. Unlike Cong. Manny, they are not at all concerned with the well-being of their employees,” he added.
In a press conference in July 14, 2011, Pacquiao expressed his support for the P125 Wage Hike Bill, which was filed by Anakpawis Partylist Rep. Rafael Mariano, and signed as the bill’s co-sponsor.
Reference:
Lito Ustarez, KMU vice-chairperson, 0908-6491992
