MANILA, Philippines — Partido Lakas ng Masa presidential candidate Leody de Guzman yesterday pressed for right and equal wages for women workers in the country.
De Guzman said women workers must not be discriminated against in workplaces and receive the same salaries as male workers.
“We in Partido Lakas ng Masa stand for recognizing the rights of women to equal opportunity for work and salaries,” he said in Filipino at a forum in Quezon City.
The labor leader said women should also be given the opportunity to assume high positions in government offices and the private sector.
If he wins the presidency, De Guzman vowed to have half of his Cabinet composed of women and members of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning) community.
He also pushed for the legalization of divorce and the decriminalization of abortion for the sake of the welfare and protection of women.
“Let’s forget old beliefs that women are weak and must be discriminated. That’s not good,” he said.
Diokno urges tax freeze on oil products
Meanwhile, candidate for senator Chel Diokno has recommended freezing the excise tax on petroleum products at its present absolute rate to alleviate the impact of rising oil prices.
In a statement, Diokno said Malacañang is empowered to make such a move under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.
The human rights lawyer said this will allow the government to still collect needed revenue while keeping taxes at their current rate.
“This is a win-win situation for the government, consumers and the transport sector. Even if the price of fuel on the oil market exceeds $80 per barrel, there will be no increase in taxes,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“This will be a big help in lessening the impact of the oil price hike on basic goods,” he added.
Meanwhile, farmers’ groups and other marginalized sectors urged President Duterte to issue an executive order directing the suspension of the value added tax and excise tax on major oil products. – Janvic Mateo, Rhodina Villanueva, Artemio Dumlao