Manila, July 3 -- Senator Joel Villanueva on Thursday said the PHP50 wage adjustment signals progress but underscored the need for structural reforms that would guide regional wage boards using updated, region-specific cost-of-living data.

"We welcome the good news for our workers in Metro Manila. But beyond legislated wage hikes, the proposed Living Wage Act will provide a more lasting and rational standard for determining minimum pay," Villanueva, chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, said in a news release.

Filed as part of Villanueva's priority legislation for the 20th Congress, the Living Wage Act seeks to amend the Labor Code to ensure that minimum wages meet "living wage standards" that support nourishment, shelter, clothing, e...