MANILA — Discussions grew heated during the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) budget hearing at the House of Representatives on Tuesday as lawmakers questioned the agency for not implementing the P85 wage hike in Metro Manila.
Wage Order No. 27 should still be in effect even after the release of a temporary restraining order (TRO) by a Pasig court because petitioners supposedly failed to post a P10 billion bond, according to Kamanggagawa party-list Representative Elijah San Fernando.
“The petitioners, themselves, admitted na hindi nila kayang makapaglagak ng sampung bilyong pisong bond. Sabi ng OSG (Office of the Solicitor General), in the absence of a writ, walang pumipigil sa DOLE na ipatupad ang dagdag sahod,” San Fernando said during the DOLE budget hearing at the House of Representatives.
Shortly after this, Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino and San Fernando engaged in a tense back and forth, with Tolentino saying he does not want to argue.
“Pagkahaba-haba po po ng ine-explain ninyo, at the end of it all, sinasabi niyo, hindi niyo ipapatupad ‘yung dagdag sahod… Edi ipapatupad niyo po ‘yung dagdag sahod?” San Fernando asked.
Tolentino replied, “Ito po ay nakasalalay sa desisyon ng husgado.”
“Ayoko po makipagtalo. Kahit po lumabas po ito sa social media,” Tolentino added.
Groups urge employers to pay P85 minimum wage increase, DOLE to defend it
Tolentino also said he agrees that without the bond, the writ of preliminary injunction does not stand.
However, the court has the “sole right to lift.”
“Without the bond, the writ falls. But facially, starting from the status quo order, temporary restraining order, the injunction order, you have a facially substantial order coming from the court, which the court has the sole right to lift, correct, or dissolve,” the labor secretary said.
San Fernando then said if the agency cannot defend workers’ rights, they have no right to ask for a budget.
The lawmaker moved to defer the committee consideration of DOLE’s budget for 2027 excluding TESDA.
But the motion was disapproved after only seven voted in support and 31 were against it.
The proposed budget for the labor department is at P47.05 billion for fiscal year 2027.
Workers, rising costs cannot wait for litigation on wage hike — labor lawyer
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