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Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Issue No. 26 August 12-18, 2001 Quezon City, Philippines |
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Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Issue No. 26 August 12-18, 2001 Quezon City, Philippines |
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Cost of living now P515 in Metro Manila BY DANILO A. ARAO What good is a minimum wage earner’s
monthly salary of P5,500 if a family of six in Metro Manila needs P15,447.60 to
survive? Bulatlat.com
estimates of daily cost of living show that as of July 2001, a family of six
living in Metro Manila must have P514.92 to meet food and non-food requirements.
For those living outside Metro Manila, a family of six needs P390.10
(agricultural areas) and P410.43 (non-agricultural areas). These estimates are based on the
consumer price index (CPI) of July 2001. Government introduced CPI in 1988 to
inflate the government’s cost of living estimates. The legislated daily wage rate in Metro
Manila is currently pegged at P250. Other regions have lower minimum wage, the
lowest being that of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) at P129.20. Assuming a 22-day work-month, a Metro
Manila-based minimum wage earner receives a gross monthly salary of P5,500. But
this can only fulfill 35.6 percent of monthly cost of living requirement for a
family of six amounting to P15,447.60 (P514.92 x 30 days). The National Wages and Productivity
Commission (NWPC) pegs the daily cost of living in Metro Manila at P509. IBON
Foundation, an independent research think-tank, gives a slightly lower estimate
of P505.81 for a family of six in Metro Manila as of May 2001.
Daily Cost of Living Estimates (PhP)
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