The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) is set to file a wage petition on March 14 amid skyrocketing fuel prices taking a toll on various sectors. In a statement Friday, TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said they are now determining the appropriate amount for a wage increase to be petitioned to the wage boards. “The TUCP is studying the matter deeply given the gravity of the gap between the minimum wage and the cost of living confronting our workers. We trust that government understands the urgency of the situation of our workers and will now look to the necessity

Personal income tax (PIT) collections as a share of the gross domestic product (GDP) is highest under the Duterte administration, which averaged 2.4 percent despite the lowering of rates for 99 percent of individual taxpayers starting in 2018 and the pandemic-induced economic slowdown, according to data from the Department of Finance (DOF). The impressive tax effort in the first five years of the current administration has been attributed to the game-changing measures that President Rodrigo Duterte implemented under his Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) since he assumed office in 2016. A report to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III by the

The chairperson of the House Committee on Labor and Employment is pushing for an increase in the wages of workers amid the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and rising prices of fuel products and other commodities. In a statement on Friday, 1-PACMAN Party-list Rep. Enrico Pineda said his panel will be discussing the possibility of wage increases and continuing its deliberations over measures seeking to institutionalize a national minimum wage for private sector workers by next week. “It’s high time we raise the minimum wage, considering the rising costs of goods and the effects of the pandemic,” Pineda said. House

Philippine exports sustained its growth for 11 consecutive months in January 2022 as export revenues expanded by 8.9 percent to USD6.04 billion from USD5.5 billion in the same period in 2021. In a statement Friday, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez said this is an encouraging development as it signals recovery of the global market. Electronic products remained the country’s top dollar earner with total receipts of USD3.5 billion, sharing 58 percent to the total exports in January. For agricultural products, coconut oil exports registered the highest growth last January at 110.1 percent to USD178.8 million. Top

The Department of Social Welfare and Development–Zamboanga Peninsula (DSWD-9) inaugurated here Friday some PHP17.7 million worth of projects geared at enhancing public service in the region. The inaugurated projects included the Regional Storage Building valued at PHP11,989,137; the Regional Isolation Facility (RIF) (PHP4,923,448); and the Regional Operations Center (ROC) (PHP821,195). DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista, who led the inauguration, said the completed projects, especially the storage facility, would enable the agency to save funds aside from enhancing its services to the people. “In due time, we can transfer our food and non-food items to our storage facility. In a way,

The PHP3-billion fuel subsidy granted to public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers amid the increase in the prices of petroleum products will benefit even the commuting public. Aksyon Demokratiko presidential bet Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, who praised President Rodrigo Duterte for the move that will also help farmers and fisherfolk, said the relief will mean there will be no increase in fares for now. “Siyempre, masaya ako para sa mga drivers kasi ‘pag nagawa ng pamahalaan iyan, kahit papaano, ma-ibsan iyong pagkalugi sa kita nila pang araw-araw. Makikinabang rin ang mga pasahero dahil sa kahit papaano ay wala munang taas-pasahe (Of