From Wage Hike To Ending Mideast War: Thousands Of Filipinos Take To The Streets On Labor Day

2026-05-01 02:21:36

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Thousands of Filipino workers and activists marched on the streets of Manila towards Malacañang Palace on Friday, International Labor Day, demanding nationwide wage hike and urgent relief from rising prices of commodities, exacerbated by the Middle East conflict.

Adding to their woes is the state of the Philippine peso, which is currently worth P61.32 per US dollar – the weakest the Philippine currency had been in history – making it even harder for the country to deal with the ongoing oil crisis.

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In the next fuel price cycle on Tuesday, the energy sector is already bracing for another round of hefty price increases across all fuel types, breaking the three-week streak of substantial decreases in diesel prices.

The Department of Agriculture also announced rice price increase in the coming weeks, conservatively predicted at P62 per kilo from an average of P57 last month. Rice is the staple food in the Phillipines.

Power rates have also shot up, as electricity distributor Meralco announced a rate increase of P.55 per kilowatt hour, yanking the overall rate to P14.35 per KWh from P13.82 in March. The announcement came just as electricity requirements have been increasing due to the onset of summer.

Former Central Bank of the Philippines deputy government Diwa Guinigundo revealed on Thursday that the Philippines is looking at a staggering 6.4 per cent inflation rate in April, largely due to the war in the Middle East.

Demand for living wage

Minimum daily wage in the NCR in the Philippines is currently pegged at P695 for non-agricultural workers and P658 for agricultural, retail and service workers. This is 44.4 percent less than the recommended“living wage” of P1,250 in Metro Manila, the bare minimum for a family of five to have a roof over their heads and food on the table.

Aside from private sector workers, government emloyees are also demanding salary increases, saying entry level wages for licensed professionals such as teachers and nurses must be P50,000 per month and P30,000 for non-licensed employees.

No wage hike

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, in his message on Labor Day, acknowledged current difficulties brought about by the hostilities in the Middle East.“As we face changing economic pressures, rest assured that this administration stands firm in defending the dignity of every Filipino by creating more and better jobs, boosting worker protection, and broadening pathways for all to succeed,” he said in a statement, but nowhere in the rest of his statement does it say of any substantial wage hike.

“With no mention of any wage increase amid the grinding effects of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, this year may be one of the worst Labor Days in the Philippines in recent memory,” workers noted.