NDF Calls on Government to Boost Local Industries and Agriculture Amid Rising Cost of Living in Negros Island

The National Democratic Front (NDF) in the Negros Island Region has issued a call to the government to boost local industries and the agricultural sector, emphasizing the need to make basic necessities more affordable.

In a statement, the NDF expressed concern that even minimum wage earners in the region may find it difficult to enjoy a festive noche buena, particularly those working as plantation laborers.

"In Negros Island, the current minimum wage is at around P500, slightly increased from the previous P480 per day. This is usually the case for contractual and government workers in city proper such as Bacolod City. But as for farm workers, it is around P300-P400 and P250-P350 for plantation workers with only 2-3 working days in a week. This is far from the 2024 family living wage in Negros which is P1,024," the group stated.

The NDF added that beyond working in haciendas and plantations, the only choice for a Negrosanon is to find odd and precarious jobs, taking into consideration a family’s budget for food, education, utilities, and loan payments, among others.

In light of the DTI’s insistence on a P500 noche buena, which the group described as "apathetic and out of touch," they said the pronouncement proved that the DTI and the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. know nothing of the struggles faced by Filipino families, particularly in Negros Island.

"If the DTI truly wants the Filipino people to have a proper noche buena at an affordable price, then they should focus on building and strengthening local Filipino industries," NDF stressed, while also crying out for agriculture to be boosted through genuine land reform and adequate support to farmers.

As long as the government of the Republic of the Philippines favors foreign imports and allows our exports to be sold at cheap prices to foreign entities, prices will continue to soar, it added.

The NDF further expressed that while ordinary earners struggle to provide decent food for their noche buena tables, the government remains unabashed in plundering billions of pesos from public coffers.

The group urged that what the government should focus on right now is answering the people’s hunger for justice and accountability.

"A genuine people’s government where production is planned and appropriation benefits the majority, not the elite few; where corruption is immediately held accountable against the people’s court; where a proper and dignified noche buena is possible," they emphasized. 💙