House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio pushed back against the government’s celebration of the Philippines’ new upper-middle-income classification, saying the label means little to workers who still struggle to survive on wages far below the cost of living.
Tinio called the reclassification “meaningless propaganda,” arguing that economic growth figures do not automatically translate into better lives for ordinary Filipinos. He pointed to the gap between the current average daily wage of around ₱510 and the estimated ₱1,312 living wage needed to support basic needs, asking what kind of progress leaves the people producing wealth unable to live decently.
Even with the staggered ₱85 wage increase in the National Capital Region, Tinio said the bigger problem remains unchanged: workers’ incomes are still not keeping pace with rising prices. For him, the country’s reported growth has benefited corporations and powerful interests far more than the working class.
Tinio renewed his call for the proposed ₱1,200 daily living wage, framing it as a direct response to the disconnect between economic headlines and household reality. His message is blunt: a country may move up in global classification, but that means little if Filipino workers are still forced to choose between food, bills, transportation, and survival.
Image from Bombo Radyo Laoag