Kamanggagawa Partylist Representative Eli San Fernando condemned Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECoP) President Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis, Jr. for his recent remarks urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to oppose any future legislated wage hikes.

“Shameless. Walang puso. Walang kahihiyan. Sagad sa buto ang pagkaganid,” Rep. San Fernando declared. “Sergio Ortiz-Luis serves as the mouthpiece of abusive employers in this country. Let me remind you, Mr. Ortiz: you cannot take your wealth to the grave.”

In a statement over the weekend, Ortiz-Luis brazenly urged President Marcos to use his upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA) to oppose any national wage hike legislation, arguing that efforts to pass such laws should stop altogether because they would likely be vetoed anyway.

“ECoP is giving orders to Malacañang, as if the president is a lapdog to businessmen. They are dictating policy at the direct expense of workers’ dignity and survival,” Rep. San Fernando warned. “While millions of Filipinos endure starvation wages, skyrocketing prices, and no job security, Ortiz-Luis wants to slam the door on even the tiniest hope of relief. This is cruelty masquerading as policy.”

Rep. San Fernando also denounced Ortiz-Luis for his long record of public remarks that belittle workers’ struggles and justify poverty wages. “His entire career has been about defending corporate profit at the cost of workers’ lives. He has consistently mocked the very idea of wage justice.”

Rep. San Fernando emphasized that the regional wage board system — which Ortiz-Luis praised — has long failed to deliver fair and livable wages to Filipino workers, especially those outside Metro Manila.

“The provincial wage rate system is precisely why a nurse in Mindoro earns far less than one in Metro Manila, even if they work the same hours and do the same life-saving tasks. It is institutionalized discrimination. And people like Ortiz-Luis want to keep it that way,” San Fernando added.

Kamanggagawa Partylist recently filed the House Bill No. 94, or the National Minimum Wage Act, which seeks to abolish the outdated and unjust provincial wage rate system and establish a unified national minimum wage based on the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work.’

In addition, San Fernando confirmed that Kamanggagawa will co-author House Bill No. 88, the legislated wage increase bill filed by TUCP Partylist, showing a united front among labor advocates in Congress.

Finally, he challenged President Marcos to prove that the administration’s “Bagong Pilipinas” slogan means something.

“If the President bows to pressure from ECoP and refuses to support even one peso of wage relief, then it’s clear: ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ is just the same old system that bleeds workers dry while billionaires get richer.”

“ECoP does not speak for the people. And Mr. Ortiz-Luis does not speak for this nation. The workers do — and we will not be silenced.”