When good intentions become bad economicsEvery few years, a proposal emerges in Congress that sounds noble at first but collapses under the weight of economic reality. The latest is the push for a national legislated minimum wage increase of P200 per day championed by Kamanggagawa Party-List Rep. Eli San Fernando. Fernando is pushing for the passage of House Bill 94 or the National Minimum Wage Act that seeks to create a single, uniform, national minimum wage instead of regional wage increases as determined by regional wage boards. And in every year of the transition period, every region shall increase its minimum wage by at least 20 percent of the gap between its current regional minimum wage and the national minimum wage. The danger of proposals like the national wage bill is not that they aim too high.

Source: Philippine Star March 13, 2026 16:52 UTC