The World Bank's reclassification of the Philippines as an upper-middle income country has been met with skepticism by a lawmaker who argues that it fails to reflect the true situation of workers who continue to receive low wages.
Party-list Rep. Antonio L. Tinio stated that the classification is meaningless as long as workers' earnings remain below the estimated living wage, citing the average daily earnings of P510 as less than half of the P1,312 living wage requirement.
The reclassification is based on the rise in the country's gross national income per capita, but Rep. Tinio argued that it does not reflect how income is distributed among Filipinos, with many workers still struggling to make ends meet.
The lawmaker also pointed out that the recent wage increase in the National Capital Region, which amounts to P85 per day, is still far from the amount needed to cover a family's daily expenses, and that workers do not feel the benefits of economic growth.
Rep. Tinio renewed his push for the passage of House Bill No. 202, a measure proposing a P1,200 living wage, and urged for genuine economic development that benefits all workers, not just the privileged few.
He emphasized that the "upper-middle income" status is meaningless if the ordinary Filipino cannot afford basic necessities, and that the government needs to take concrete steps to address the issue of low wages and unequal distribution of wealth.
