The Philippines may be one of the few Christian countries in the world where Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are given higher importance than Easter Sunday.
It’s as if Filipinos can relate more to the suffering and death of Jesus Christ than in his miraculous resurrection.
But that’s not surprising.
For a country where poverty, corruption and blatant disregard for common welfare have become the norm, ordinary Filipinos have come to regard “penitensya” not as a mere one-time event that happens during Holy Week but a dismal everyday reality.
The cross of poverty and inflation
The biting reality is that most of our ordinary workers still find day-to-day living an everyday cross that they have to bear.
This, despite glowing data and statistics churned out by government agencies touting the success of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. in its push towards a “Bagong Pilipinas.”
Here’s the “official” data, as spouted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA): in its situational report published in its social media pages last April 7, it reported that headline inflation in Laguna slowed down to 2.2 percent in March 2025 from 2.3 percent in February 2025.
This brings the provincial average inflation from January to March 2025 to 2.6 percent. In March 2024, inflation rate was higher at 2.8 percent.
Hidden data
But buried within those statistics is one (literally) unpalatable fact that year-on-year food inflation actually rose in Laguna province – from 3.6 percent reported in February 2025 to 5.1 percent reported in March.
Fruits and nuts helped drive the rise in food inflation, with prices going up by 11.7 percent, followed by meat products (9.5 percent) and fish and seafood products (8.4 percent).
On the plus side, recorded inflation on rice slightly went down by 2.6 percent, while inflation on vegetables and tubers went down by 7.7 percent.
Wage hike
This month, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) implemented the second tranche of its wage hike for certain economic sectors here in the Calabarzon region.
Under that order, workers in the non-agriculture sector for component cities and the municipality of Rosario, Cavite received a P20 wage hike, bringing their daily salary to P540.
Meanwhile, workers in the non-agriculture sector for 4th, 5th, and 6th class municipalities saw their wages go up to P450, or an equivalent wage hike of P30.
Workers in the agriculture sector in 1st-class municipalities, on the other hand,
received a wage hike of P35, bringing their daily salary to P500.
Not enough
But what do these banal reports of progress meant for ordinary Filipinos?
Think tank IBON Foundation, for instance, has pointed out that even that measly wage hike can’t cope with the awful reality that the cost of living remains out of reach for many minimum-wage earners.
In a graphic published in its social media page on April 9, IBON noted that the "wage gap" (the difference between the approved minimum wage and the calculated "family living wage" for a family of five) remained astronomically high.
In Calabarzon, for instance, the daily nominal minimum wage, as approved in the 1st tranche of the RTWPB's wage hike order implemented last year, was reported as P560.
This is the highest minimum wage reported, for workers in the non-agriculture sector in the "extended metropolitan area," or areas nearest to Metro Manila.
The lowest minimum wage was reserved for 2nd to 6th-class municipalities, at P425 a day for both the agriculture and retail and service sectors.
In contrast, the calculated "family living wage" stands at P1,114 in Calabarzon.
This translates to a 51-percent difference between what the government thinks should be appropriate for ordinary workers to receive and the actual amount needed for their day-to-day survival.
Glaring disconnect
It’s not surprising, therefore, that the Marcos administration’s touting of a better life for Filipinos under “Bagong Pilipinas” rings more and more hollow for voters who are now pressing for leaders who can address the main issues that hound their everyday lives.
What are these issues?
A recent survey conducted by Stratbase showed that top concerns of voters include creating more job opportunities (92 percent), followed by strengthening the country’s health care system (91 percent), developing the agriculture sector and ensuring food security (91 percent), equal access to education (90 percent) and ensuring workers’ rights (89 percent).
“Many Filipinos still struggle with everyday needs. People want jobs because having work means having income to support their families. Health care remains a priority because getting sick is expensive and many still can’t afford proper treatment,” Stratbase president Dindo Manhit was quoted as saying.
“Food security is a top concern because food prices keep going up, and families just want to be sure there’s always something on the table. Education is seen as the key to a better future, especially for the younger generation. And when prices of goods and services rise, it affects everyone. What used to be enough is no longer enough,” he added.
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