Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday called for a long-term labor agenda anchored on a living wage as he urged the government to build an economy where Filipinos work abroad by choice rather than out of economic necessity.
During his Kontra-SONA privilege speech during the July 28, 2026 Senate session, Cayetano said while overseas employment should always remain an option for Filipinos seeking better opportunities or specialized careers abroad, no Filipino should feel compelled to leave home simply because they cannot earn a decent living in the Philippines.
“Can we have a vision whether it’s five years, ten years, twenty years, where a Philippine President can say wala nang Pilipino na OFW na napilitan lang mag-OFW dahil walang trabahong maganda sa Pilipinas?” he said.
Cayetano said achieving that vision requires long-term labor reforms that go beyond periodic wage adjustments and address the structural challenges facing Filipino workers.
He said the country must move beyond a minimum wage and work toward a living wage that enables workers to provide for their families’ basic needs, including food, housing, education, and healthcare.
“We have a minimum wage, we do not have a living wage that the Constitution envisioned,” he said.
Cayetano cited Senate Bill No. 104, or the Executive-Legislative Labor Commission (LabCom) Act of 2025, which seeks to establish a commission that will formulate a National Labor Roadmap and recommend long-term reforms toward achieving a living wage for Filipino workers.
He recalled meeting a Filipino chef in Singapore who told him he would willingly return home even for half of his current salary if he could still provide for his family.
“‘Sir, kalahati lang. Kung P110,000 ang sweldo ko dito, kitain ko lang P55,000 sa Manila, OK na ako,'” Cayetano said.
The minority leader said that the country’s goal is not to discourage overseas employment but to ensure that working abroad becomes a matter of opportunity rather than necessity.
“You will always have expats, you will always have OFWs who want to work somewhere. If artists love Europe, let them go to Europe. If you want to specialize in a certain branch of medicine and want to study in the US or London, you’re free,” he said.
“Ang vision lang natin, walang napipilitan na umalis [ng bansa] dahil wala silang magandang kinabukasan dito sa Pilipinas,” he added.