About 2,000 to 2,500 workers and members of progressive groups are expected to join a Labor Day march-rally in Bacolod City Friday afternoon, May 1, to demand a P1,200 legislated daily wage hike.
They will assemble at the South Capitol Road, the Rizal Park and in front of the San Sebastian Cathedral at noon for a march to the front of the Bacolod City Government Center replica at the public plaza for a rally at 2 p.m., Noli Rosales, Kilusang Mayo Uno -Negros secretary general, said.
They were told the site will be used for a night market and were not granted a permit to hold their rally there, Rosales said.
But they will go ahead with their protest, he said.
“We stand in unity to fight for our jobs, just wages and betterment in the face of worsening crisis amidst the US imperialist war around the world,” Rosales said at a press conference on Thursday led by BAYAN Negros and Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)–Negros.
They are also calling for an end to the US war of aggression, he added.
“The workers bear the impact of the crisis brought by war in Middle East – the rising cost of living, transport cost, electricity and water utilities. Yet, a substantial wage increase remains on the deaf ear of the Marcos government,” their statement read by Rosales said.
“With inflation registering at 4.2 percent in March 2026 due to oil price hikes, workers would be further thrown into poverty,” he added.
He also said that since the end of February, drivers and small operators of Public Utilities Jeepneys (PUJ) have been faced with the burden of a 100 percent increase in fuel prices.
The ayuda (government aid) given by government is selective and not enough, Lilian Sembrano, president of Kabacod Negros Transport Organization (KNETCO), said.
Of the 1,000 KNETCO members, only 72 will receive the P1,500 assistance from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. They are still waiting for the P5,000 under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program, she added.
Rosales also said in large agricultural plantations workers also face dire conditions.
“Their weekly income in not enough to feed and send children to school,” he said.
The sugar crisis brought by government policy on sugar importation has exacerbated the plight of the sugar workers, he added.
The Partido Manggagawa is supporting the call for an across the board wage hike and is joining the protest, Priscilla Goco said.*
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