19th Congress and Malacañang Betrayed Workers

The 19th Congress has ended in treachery against the working class. The proposed ₱100-₱200 legislated wage hike, which was just two steps away from becoming law—requiring only bicameral approval and the President’s signature—was deliberately set aside and sacrificed in favor of capitalist interests.  

There is no one else to blame for this betrayal but Martin Romualdez and Chiz Escudero, the two leaders of the 19th Congress who were not just slow and indolent, but deceptive and fraudulent. However, workers must not forget that Martin and Chiz merely follow the orders of their master, Marcos Jr., whose stance on wage hikes is to leave it to the useless regional wage boards.  

There is no more fitting occasion for outrage against the three highest officials of the Philippines than this very Independence Day. These three should symbolize the lack of freedom of workers and the poor from poverty and hunger. They should represent the continuing oppression of the people, despite the so-called "progress" boasted by their economic managers.  

The 20th Congress will open with the same leadership —all traitors to workers, all captured by capital. There is no new hope under the institutions they lead.  

But we will not stop fighting for a just wage, the right to collective bargaining and organizing and the advancement of more reforms, including political reforms. Because if the working class gives up in the face of hopelessness, those in power will only further enjoy their wealth and power as a ruling class.   

We did not gain freedom just to be ruled by them forever.  True freedom and independece will one day be in the hands of the working class. 

INDIGNATION STATEMENT - NAGKAISA: Senate Majority Turns Impeachment into Monkey Business

We strongly denounce the Senate majority’s decision to return the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte without dismissing or trying the case. Instead of letting her face the music, they gave her a backstage pass — shielding her from facing the music of public accountability and justice.

Through procedural acrobatics and legal technicalities, they threw a monkey wrench into the process — reducing a solemn constitutional duty into nothing more than political theater.

The Senate could have conditionally proceeded while allowing the House, in a pre-trial conference, to:

1. Certify that there was no violation of the one-year impeachment bar under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution;

2. Clarify the timeline and sequence of earlier complaints; and

3. Assert that impeachment — like electoral protest cases — may rightfully cross over from one Congress to another, as supported by both Philippine precedent in the electoral tribunals and U.S. and British practice and jurisprudence.

But instead of action, they chose abdication. The legal giants are gone — and in their place, small minds now dominate with alacrity, dragging the Senate’s reputation down and turning it into a global laughingstock.

This is not how justice is done — it’s how truth is buried.

Senate Must Proceed with VP Duterte Impeachment Trial — Not Short-Circuit It

The Senate has been procrastinating far too long. It is time to forthwith proceed with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, as the Constitution commands — not to toy with shortcuts.

Naimpeach na po si Sara ng House kaya dapat ang Senado ay agad-agad na lilitisin siya. Iyan po ang utos ng ating Saligang Batas — let her face the music na. Iyan po ang ibig sabihin ng “shall forthwith proceed to trial” sa Section 3(6), Article XI ng 1987 Constitution.

Hindi pwedeng sumayaw palayo sa public accountability. The public must now demand not whether to impeach — that step is done — but that the Senate proceed with the trial as mandated.

Yet Senator Tolentino now proposes to abbreviate the trial to just 19 days that ends on June 30. That is far too short.

NAGKAISA Labor Coalition disagrees with Tolentino’s proposal.

Past impeachments were never rushed. President Estrada’s trial took 22 trial days (cut short by a walkout and the EDSA 2 that followed). Chief Justice Corona’s trial took 44 trial days over several months. Rushing a trial today would deny due process to both the prosecution and defense, violate the Constitution, and undermine the Senate’s duty to conduct a fair and credible proceeding.

Moreover, NAGKAISA  emphasizes that an impeachment trial can and should continue even if it crosses into the 20th Congress. The Senate exercises institutional and continuing jurisdiction over such trials.

U.S. experience — the very model upon which the Philippine impeachment system was patterned — clearly shows this principle. The framers of our 1987 Constitution adopted much of the U.S. Senate’s role and procedures in impeachment trials. In U.S. history:

• President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021 was conducted by a new Congress after the impeachment by the House in a prior term.

• President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial likewise carried over into a new congressional session.

• Judge West Humphreys’ impeachment trial in 1862 proceeded after a change in Congress.

• In British parliamentary history — another reference for our drafters — House of Lords impeachment trials routinely continued across new parliaments.

Thus, there is no constitutional obstacle to continuing the VP Duterte impeachment trial into the next Congress. What is needed is political will to uphold the Constitution and the people’s demand for accountability.

The public demands justice — not short cut and cover up.

Nagkaisa Hails Deferment of UHC Amendments: A Victory for Health, A Win for Workers!

The Nagkaisa Labor Coalition warmly welcomes the deferment of the proposed amendments to the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act—a major win for healthcare justice and the millions of workers who depend on PhilHealth for life-saving services.

Under mounting pressure from healthcare professionals, workers, and civil society advocates, the Congressional bicameral conference committee backed down from advancing what would have been harmful and regressive changes to the UHC Law. In a stunning but welcome move, the committee decided to put the amendments on hold.

“This is a huge relief for everyone who believes in universal, accessible, and affordable healthcare,” said Nagkaisa Spokesperson Rene Magtubo.

“Workers contribute to PhilHealth, rely on it in times of need, and deserve to be heard before any law is rewritten. Congress must ensure that the UHC dream is not derailed by shortsighted proposals,” Magtubo added.

This groundswell of opposition follows massive protests over the blatant defunding of PhilHealth—when ₱60 billion was sequestered from its fund in 2024, and the agency was given zero budget in 2025. These attacks on public healthcare triggered outrage across sectors, deepening public mistrust and fueling calls to defend and strengthen—not sabotage—universal health care.

Nagkaisa emphasized that the deferment now gives the incoming 20th Congress a crucial opportunity to conduct broad, meaningful, and inclusive consultations—with healthcare workers, patients, civil society, and the working people who pay premiums and rely on PhilHealth to survive medical crises.

The decision came just in time: a massive rally organized by the UHC Collective and Nagkaisa was set to take place at the Senate tomorrow. The mobilization will continue—not in protest, but in vigilance and solidarity, to ensure that any future reforms strengthen, not gut, the vision of universal healthcare.

“This fight is not over. But today, we celebrate a crucial win. Congress heard the people. Now, we demand that they keep listening,” Magtubo concluded. 

NAGKAISA Labor Coalition Calls on Congress to Defer the Proposed Amendments to the Universal Healthcare Law

The NAGKAISA Labor Coalition calls on our Senators and Congressmen to defer the forthcoming bicameral conference committee meeting to reconcile Senate Bill 2620 and House Bill 11357, bills amending the Universal Healthcare (UHC) Act of 2019. The proposed amendments will have a grave effect on the financial sustainability of the country’s national health insurer, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and hinder PhilHealth from effectively carrying out its mandate of lowering out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures for all Filipinos.  

 

Both HB 11357 and SB 2620 lower the premium contributions of PhilHealth direct contributors – from 5% to 3.25% for the Senate version and 3.5% for the House version. This will lead to PhilHealth’s deficit ballooning to P90 billion in 2025.

 

We acknowledge the intent of some legislators to give workers a reprieve from paying high premiums, but we cannot turn a blind eye to the long term impact of the reduction of premiums, which will ultimately affect the workers’ right to accessible and affordable health care.

 

Lowering PhilHealth’s premiums at this time is ill-advised, given the controversial defunding of PhilHealth in the 2025 National Budget. The Supreme Court decision on the petitions questioning the constitutionality of the transfer of P60 billion of PhilHealth funds to the National Treasury, for which NAGKAISA is a petitioner-intervenor, has yet to be released. This will likely have an impact on the implementation of Universal Healthcare; thus, it is prudent to wait for the Court’s decision before amending existing legislation.

 

NAGKAISA Labor Coalition calls on the House of Representatives and the Senate to give the Universal Healthcare Act a chance to be fully implemented and to do a thorough assessment of UHC rather than hastily passing a bill which puts the continued roll out and expansion of benefits for the Filipino people in peril. We call on our legislators to hold a multi-sectoral consultation including workers, who pay their premium contributions, rely on PhilHealth to fund life-saving healthcare, and are fervent in their hope that the dream of affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare for all will be realized.

Nagkaisa calls for presidential certification of pending wage hike bills in Congress

Amid rising hunger and the prospect of higher inflation and prolonged lean months due to the impact of El Niño, the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition calls for Presidential certification of wage hike bills now pending before Congress.

The call was in response to President Bongbong Marcos's (PBBM) pre-Labor Day order for the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (RTWPB) to review wage orders across various regions.

"We are afraid the President was not truly informed by his cabinet on how the regional wage boards have effectively kept minimum wages below the poverty thresholds during the last 35 years. The current system under RTWPB is insufficient to meet the basic needs of Filipino workers," said Nagkaisa Chair Sonny Matula. 

Matula explained that the regional wage boards cannot solve the structural problem of discrimination and the perpetuation of low wages in the regions that workers experienced in during the last 35 years. Thus, there is a critical need for national action through legislative fiat.

He added that while the President did not specifically mention a legislative wage increase in his speech yesterday, he can do so anytime as it is within his powers and discretion without undermining the independence of Congress, which is the concern of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin. 

“We cannot continue repeating the same actions and expect different results. Therefore, we cannot tackle the persistent issues of low wages and discrimination against agricultural workers and those in rural areas using old strategies. This desperate situation, which has persisted for 35 years, calls for new approaches, specifically legislative action,” emphasized Matula.

The coalition reminded both the Executive and Legislative departments of government of the recent surveys underscoring the urgency of this issue. Results from a survey conducted from March 21 to 25 revealed a 1.6-point increase in hunger compared to findings from December 2023, with involuntary hunger reaching its highest in Metro Manila at 19 percent, followed by Balance Luzon at 15.3 percent, Visayas at 15 percent, and Mindanao at 8.7 percent. 

"While RTWPBs can make wage adjustments moto propio or by wage petitions, we find it more imperative that our legislators act swiftly to pass the PHP 150 wage hike bill. This is not just an increase; it’s a necessary step towards economic recovery and stability for our nation's workforce," concluded Matula. ###