AMA Sugbo - KMU

08/04/2026

AMA SUGBO TO DOLE 7: DI MAIGO ANG ₱5,000 SUBSIDY, SWELDO ISAKA NA!

Alyansa sa mga Mamumuo sa Sugbo - Kilusang Mayo Uno (AMA Sugbo - KMU) criticizes the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board's (RTWPB) one-time financial assistance proposal for workers in the private sector to offset rising fuel costs.

AMA Sugbo - KMU Secretary-General Howell Villacrucis said, "Pipila ray makadawat sa assistance ug kuwangan pa kini tungod sa di makaangayong pagmahal sa palaliton. Ang makatabang gyud sa mga mamumuo ay ang pagsaka sa sweldo ug pag-ubos sa presyo sa mga palaliton! Ang kasamtangang kahimtangan sa mga mamumuo kay gipanghimuslan ra sila sa mga kapitalista samtang nagkalisod og buhi, lalo na karon tungod sa gyera gipaduso sa Estados Unidos ug Israel."

(Only a few will receive the financial assistance and it is still insufficient because of the unfair rising costs of commodities. What would really help the workers are wage increases and price decreases of commodities! The current situation of the workers is that they are exploited by capitalists while they're struggling to live, especially now because of the war waged by the US and Israel.)

AMA Sugbo - KMU contends the claim of Atty. Roy L. Buenafe, Director of Department of Labor and Employment Region 7 (DOLE 7), that wage hikes may not benefit all workers equally, as there are workers who work in micro and small enterprises who do not receive minimum wage.

"Di man sala sa mga mamumuo nga wala gisuporta ang mga MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) sa pagsweldo. Imbis ang gobyerno mutugon ana, gipasan man hinuon sa mga mamumuo sa mga MSMEs, nga naglisod na daan. Dapat naay wage subsidies para makahatag og makabuhing sweldo ang mga MSMEs ug naa pa sila’y kwarta para pagpadayon sa ilang negosyo," Villacrucis said.

(It’s not the workers’ fault that MSMEs aren’t supported with giving wages. Instead of the government addressing it, they pass this burden to the workers in the MSMEs, who are already struggling. There should be wage subsidies so that MSMEs can give livable wages and they still have money to continue their business.)

Buenafe’s concern on wage hikes does not accurately capture the data surrounding large enterprises and MSMEs. According to IBON Foundation, 3,231,794 million workers are employed in large enterprises as of May 2025. This composes 50.80% of the workforce recorded, which is more than the 3,130,008 workers employed in MSMEs. Profits earned by each type of enterprise were the following: ₱1.6 trillion by large enterprises, ₱285.5 billion by medium enterprises, ₱822.6 billion by small enterprises, and ₱302.5 billion by micro enterprises. If these profits were cut to give workers wages of ₱1,200, these would be the following percentages: 36.4% for large enterprises, 29.7% for medium enterprises, 42.2% for small enterprises, and 49.1% for micro enterprises. There would still be profits left over for micro and small enterprises. Providing MSMEs with wage subsidies would substantially help them in giving livable wages. Thus, implementing a ₱1,200 national family wage is achievable and just for all minimum wage workers, regardless of whichever enterprise they are from.

AMA Sugbo - KMU asserts that DOLE should strictly observe companies, enforce pro-worker labor standards and policies, and sanction companies for labor violations amidst the fuel crisis.

"Naghamtang na ra ba og di maka-angayong polisiya ang mga kumpanya aron dili dako ilang gastos samtang gibarato nila og ayo ang mga mamumuo, hilabi na karon nga kalibutanong krisis. Mao dapat ang DOLE manghilabot aning mga kumpanya, " Villacrucis said.

(Companies have adopted inappropriate policies to keep their costs low while underpaying their workers, especially now in this global crisis. That’s why DOLE should intervene with these companies.)

According to DOLE 7, at least 20 companies in Central Visayas have reduced work days, ranging from 3 to 6 days per week. AMA Sugbo - KMU warns how compressed work weeks succumbs workers to more than 8 hours of work without overtime pay and lesser wages. Labor flexibilization policies like this force the workers to adjust to the fuel crisis, rather than companies spending to ensure their workers are compensated for.

AMA Sugbo - KMU calls on helping workers displaced because of the war in Iran.

"Dapat ang gobyerno muhatag ug seguradong ug makabuhing trabaho sa ang atong mamumuo gikan sa Iran nga napugos og balhin balik sa Pinas tungod sa gyera," Villacrucis added.

(The government should give sure and livable jobs to our workers from Iran, who were displaced and forced to return to the Philippines because of the war.)

According to BBC, West Asia houses more than two million Filipinos working overseas. Work for Filipinos range from domestic help to construction and wages are four to five times higher than the wages in the Philippines. As of March 23, around 2,000 Filipino workers and their dependents flew back to Manila since the war in West Asia. The crisis shows that every Filipino worker, be it in Iran or in the Philippines, are suffering.

Villacrucis concluded, "Kining mga solusyon sama sa financial subsidy kay di maigo para matugonan ang mga ugat sa kasamtangang krisis. Gibuhat rani para pang pogi points, as if nay pake si Marcos para sa katawhan. Ang epekto sa mga kasamtangang palisiya ug balaod sa rehimeng Marcos kay nilala tungod sa papel sa rehimen sa gyera nga gipaduso sa imperyalistang US-Israel. Ang rehimeng US-Marcos gisuportahan ang gyera sa Iran pamaagi sa pag-gamit sa mga military bases diri sa nasud para naay dagdag kahinguhaan ang Estados Unidos. Dagkong insulto kini sa katawhang Pilipino nga galisod karon. Kauban sa pagduso sa pagsaka sa sweldo para mahupayan dayon ang mga mamumuo, manawagan sad mi sa pagtukod og nasudnong mga industriya isip maluntarong solusyon sa mga problema sa katawhan ron.”

(Solutions like financial subsidies are not sufficient to address the roots of the current crisis. These were only done for brownie points, as if Marcos cared for the people. The effects of the current policies and laws of the Marcos regime worsened because of the regime's role in the war waged by the imperialist US-Israel. The US-Marcos regime supports the war in Iran through the usage of the military bases here in the nation to provide additional resources for the US. This is a big insult to the Filipino people who are struggling today. Along with pushing for wage increase to give immediate relief to workers, we also call to establish national industries as a sustainable solution to the people’s problems.) # # #

24/03/2026

24/03/2026

24/03/2026

24/03/2026

Some TNVS providers will join the protest on March 26 and 27 to air their frustration on how the government has been dealing with the oil price hikes

22/03/2026

Labor group joins transport strike, demands ₱1,200 national minimum wage

PRESS RELEASE
March 22, 2026

On March 19, Alyansa sa mga Mamumuo sa Sugbo – Kilusang Mayo Uno (AMA Sugbo–KMU) joined the transport strike led by Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON) Cebu, standing in solidarity with jeepney drivers and operators who were among the most affected by oil price hikes driven by the US-led imperialist war against Iran.

Fuel costs had already consumed most of the income of public transportation drivers in the country, leaving them with little to no take-home earnings at the end of the day. The situation was expected to worsen, as projections showed that diesel prices could reach up to ₱130 per liter and gasoline up to ₱100 per liter in the coming week. Even the Marcos administration’s ₱5,000 cash assistance and fuel subsidy failed to cover their expenses amid continuous oil price hikes. As a result, some jeepney drivers had begun considering leaving the industry altogether.

The labor group pointed out that companies were taking advantage of the situation to justify exploitative labor flexibilization schemes such as the four-day workweek, rotational duty, and work-from-home arrangements. These measures merely shifted the burden of the crisis onto the workers while undermining their labor rights. Companies benefited from these policies by keeping wages low while increasing workloads.

Workers in Cebu earn a measly ₱540 minimum wage, far below the region’s estimated ₱1,340 family living wage required for a decent standard of living. With the continuous rise in commodity prices, the real value of the minimum wage had further eroded.

AMA Sugbo–KMU also strongly condemned the Marcos administration’s response to the oil price hikes. According to the group, temporary measures such as the suspension of excise tax, fuel subsidies, cash assistance, and staggered price increases are merely band-aid solutions.

“Inutil ang gobyernong Marcos! Gipasa niya sa katawhang Pilipino ang pagpas-an sa grabeng pagsirit sa presyo sa lana samtang gipakahayahay ang mga kumpanya sa lana,” said AMA Sugbo–KMU Secretary-General Howell Villacrucis.

(The Marcos government is inutile! It has passed the burden of soaring oil prices onto the Filipino people while allowing oil companies to remain comfortable.)

The group noted that oil companies continued to rake in massive profits, citing that Petron accumulated ₱15 billion in profits in the previous year. This indicated that oil companies would not go bankrupt even if they reduced prices.

AMA Sugbo–KMU emphasized that the root cause of the oil price hikes was the imperialist war waged by the United States and Israel. The bombing of Iran, a country with vast oil reserves, had triggered economic instability in oil-importing countries such as the Philippines.

“Ang mga langyawng monopolyong kapitalista ra’y nakabenepisyo aning gyera; mas mudato pa sila tungod kay gipahimuslan nila ang katawhan sa Pilipinas ug uban pang nasud,” Villacrucis said.

(Only foreign monopoly capitalists benefit from this war; they grow even richer by exploiting the people of the Philippines and other countries.)

When asked what actions should be taken, Villacrucis stressed the need for systemic reforms as immediate resolutions.

“Kinahanglan ibasura ang Oil Deregulation Law diin walay kontrol ang gobyerno sa pagpresyo sa lana ug gitugyan lang kini ngadto sa mga kumpanya. Kinahanglan usab tangtangon ang VAT ug excise tax aron dayong moubos ang presyo sa mga batakang palaliton hilabi na sa krudo nga pwede moubos hangtod ₱20. Nanawagan usab kami alang sa ₱5 fare hike ug ₱1,200 national minimum wage alang sa hinanaling kahupayan sa kadaghanan,” he added.

(The Oil Deregulation Law must be repealed where the government has no control over the pricing of oil and only leaves it to the companies. VAT and excise tax must also be removed so that the prices of basic commodities can immediately drop, especially fuel prices which can drop by ₱20. We also call for a ₱5 fare hike and a ₱1,200 national minimum wage for immediate relief to the masses.)
The labor group also called on the Filipino people to unite and take collective action for long-term solutions such as the end of imperialist wars and the nationalization of the oil industry. # # #

(Photo courtesy of Today's Carolinian)

21/03/2026