Atty. Sonny Matula @AttyMatula

“Millions of Filipinos now earn a living through digital platforms… but many remain outside the effective protection of labor laws,” Jose “Sonny” G. Matula, president of the Federation of Free Workers and chairman of the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition, told BusinessWorld via a Viber chat. The adoption of International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 193 in Geneva earlier this month sparked this call as labor unions believe the treaty finally addresses the “precarity” of a sector that has grown exponentially since the pandemic. “The Convention guarantees that platform workers enjoy the same fundamental rights recognized under international labor standards,” Mr. Matula said. These rights include freedom of association, collective bargaining, safe and healthy working conditions, and transparency in algorithmic management, according to him. bworldonline.com/the-nation/202…

In Padua, Italy. Attending the XIX National Congress of the UIL (Union of Italian Labor)

“A worker’s wage is another worker’s income,” said Atty. Sonny Matula, FFW president. Matula said additional earnings are typically spent in sari-sari stores, public markets, eateries, transport services, and neighborhood repair shops, allowing money to flow directly to small businesses and workers in the informal sector. mindanaogoldstardaily.com/archives/15800…

In an interview with The STAR, Federation of Free Workers president Sonny Matula welcomed the new wage order, but said the increase should have been granted in full rather than in two installments. “Any increase in workers’ wages is good news and a step in the right direction. That said, we wish the increase had been granted in full instead of being split into two tranches. Workers do not pay for food, rent, transportation or electricity in installments. Their daily needs are immediate, and so should wage relief be,” Matula said. “Even with the total P85 increase, it still falls short of the P200 recovery wage consistently sought by the labor sector to restore the purchasing power that workers have lost due to years of rising prices and inflation,” he added Asked by The STAR what action the government and regional wage boards should take following the NCR wage increase, Matula said the adjustment should not underscore existing disparities in the country’s regional wage system. “The NCR wage increase should not become another reminder of how unequal our wage system has become,” he said. Matula urged the government, particularly its economic managers, to support pending measures in Congress seeking a P200 nationwide wage increase, arguing that lawmakers have the authority to legislate wages when national interest and social justice require it. He also called on regional wage boards to act more proactively on wage petitions, saying the Labor Code empowers them to adjust wages whenever economic conditions warrant. “The present regional wage system has resulted in workers in the provinces receiving substantially lower wages simply because of where they work. That disparity has become increasingly difficult to justify,” Matula said. “A Filipino worker’s dignity should not depend on his or her ZIP code. Social justice does not stop at the boundaries of Metro Manila,” he added. philstar.com/headlines/2026…

Supreme Court’s ruling in Alvin G. Carpio v. Green Era Biotech Corp., et al., which reaffirms a simple but vital principle: absence is not abandonment. The decision comes just as the Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2026 Report ranks Filipino workers as the most stressed in Southeast Asia—even as they remain the region’s most committed employees. These two findings tell one story. Filipino workers continue reporting for work despite low wages, rising prices, exhausting commutes, and uncertain jobs. When stress, illness, or burnout forces them to miss work, the law should ask why, not rush to conclude that they have abandoned their employment. The Carpio case reminds us that behind every absence may be a worker battling sickness, poverty, or emotional exhaustion. A worker who returns to work and fights for reinstatement is not abandoning the job—he is fighting to keep it. The Constitution protects security of tenure, not perfect attendance.

Atty. Sonny Matula @AttyMatula

5 days ago

I respectfully believe that full justice requires full relief. Once illegal dismissal is established, reinstatement and full backwages should ordinarily follow under the Labor Code. Justice should restore not only the job but also the wages unlawfully lost. The Gallup report

0 0 3 2K 0

I respectfully believe that full justice requires full relief. Once illegal dismissal is established, reinstatement and full backwages should ordinarily follow under the Labor Code. Justice should restore not only the job but also the wages unlawfully lost. The Gallup report explains why workers sometimes cannot report for work. The Carpio ruling explains why they should not lose their livelihood because of it. If one in every two Filipino workers is under daily stress, the answer is not harsher discipline but better wages and humane workplaces. The immediate passage of the ₱200 legislated daily wage increase is highly recommended.

Abogado.com.ph @Abogado_PH

a week ago

The Supreme Court said an employee's absence alone is not enough to be considered abandonment or to justify dismissal unless the employee's actions clearly show an intent to end the employment relationship. abogado.com.ph/sc-absence-fro…

0 0 1 2K 0

“The Constitution commands full protection to labor, not perfect paperwork from poor workers. A worker who cannot afford a doctor or dentist should not lose his livelihood simply because he cannot produce a medical or dental certificate,” FFW President Sonny Matula said. businessmirror.com.ph/2026/06/29/ffw…

FFW president Sonny Matula said that Article 294 of the Labor Code is clear: workers who are illegally dismissed are entitled to reinstatement without loss of seniority rights and payment of full back wages. “These are not optional remedies but mandatory protections under the law,” Matula pointed out. FFW also encouraged Carpio’s camp to file a motion for reconsideration, arguing that the legality of the contracting arrangement involved in the case deserves closer examination. manilatimes.net/2026/06/29/new…

Study know our faith.

May you have many years of service! Congratulations to our Archbishops on the occasion of receiving the pallium—the sacred symbol of their pastoral authority over their archdioceses and of their communion with the Holy Father, the Successor of St. Peter. May this cherished insignia remind us that authentic authority is exercised through humble service, faithful shepherding, and unwavering fidelity to Christ and His Church. As our Lord declared in Gospel of Matthew 16:16–18: “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah… And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.’ May the Lord continue to strengthen our Archbishops in their apostolic ministry, so that, united with the Successor of St. Peter, they may faithfully shepherd the People of God with wisdom, courage, and love. Ad multos annos!

CBCPNews @cbcpnews

a week ago

Find out more: tinyurl.com/377affj4

0 7 35 1K 1

Tama po. “Kung hindi si SP Win, bakit pa siya ang Senate President?”

Inquirer @inquirerdotnet

2 weeks ago

Sen. Robin Padilla said on Monday that Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, not Sen. Francis Escudero, should preside over the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. READ MORE: inqnews.net/GatchalianNotE…

0 1 2 3K 0

Thanks Abogado! The question is: why not?

Abogado.com.ph @Abogado_PH

2 weeks ago

Labor lawyer Sonny Matula said Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian should preside over the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte since he is the leader of the chamber. abogado.com.ph/sonny-matula-s…

0 0 1 752 0

Being Senate President is not wearing a crown or carrying an honorary title. It means holding the gavel when duty calls. If the official on trial is not the President of the Republic, Senate rules, tradition, and institutional logic point to one person—the Senate President. Senator Win Gatchalian should preside over the impeachment court, not merely sit as a spectator in his own institution.

WILL Benedict @WILLfindways

2 weeks ago

@AttyMatula Wala naman po sa Constitution na kailangang Senate President ang magpreside sa impeachment trial. Ang nakasaad lang ay kapag Pangulo ang nililitis, Chief Justice ang magpepreside. Saan po nanggaling ang sinasabing “tradisyon”? 1/n

2 0 0 1K 0

“You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.” The original Latin reads: “Fecisti nos ad te et inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te.” This is the opening sentence of St. Augustine in his book “Confessions” (Book I, Chapter 1). It expresses the idea that human beings seek meaning, happiness, and fulfillment, but find lasting peace only in God.

Dana Rachel 🇻🇦 @thyflameoflove

2 weeks ago

There was a man.. brilliant, successful, respected by everyone who knew him... who was secretly enslaved to something he couldn't shake for over a decade. ⤵️ His name was Augustine. One of the greatest saints in Church history spent years trapped by lust. He was intelligent,

3 60 229 6K 73

In a statement issued Saturday, NAGKAISA! (N1), which describes itself as the country’s largest labor coalition, said it respectfully but strongly disagrees with the President’s view, stressing that its concern is institutional rather than personal. The group urged the Senate to allow Senate President Win Gatchalian to preside over the impeachment court, saying Senate traditions and impeachment rules generally recognize the Senate President’s role in trials that do not involve the President. mindanaogoldstardaily.com/archives/157800

Bakit hindi si SP Win ang magpreside sa impeachment proceedings ni VP Sara? Tradisyon na sa Senado na kapag ang nililitis ay opisyal maliban sa Pangulo, ang Senate President ang humahawak ng gavel. Ang tanong ngayon ay hindi kung maaari siyang magpreside, kundi kung bakit hindi. Kung ang Senate President ay hindi pagkakatiwalaang humawak ng gavel sa pinakamahalagang paglilitis ng Senado, kailan pa? Ang gavel ay hindi dekorasyon na inilalabas lamang sa seremonya. Ito ay simbolo ng tiwala, awtoridad, at pananagutan. Kapag inalis mo ito sa Senate President nang walang malinaw na dahilan, baka isipin ng taumbayan na may hawak siyang titulo pero wala siyang buong kumpiyansa ng kanyang mga kasamahan. Sa impeachment, mahalaga hindi lamang ang magiging hatol kundi pati ang magiging impresyon ng publiko. At kung may isang tanong na ayaw marinig ng Senado, ito ay: “Kung hindi si SP Win, bakit pa siya ang Senate President?”

Abogado.com.ph @Abogado_PH

2 weeks ago

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday expressed hope that the election of Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate President will restore normalcy and order in the upper chamber. READ: abogado.com.ph/marcos-i-hope-…

2 1 9 8K 0

N1 STRONGLY DISAGREES WITH PBBM: SP WIN SHOULD HOLD THE GAVEL, CHIZ AS IMPEACHMENT PRESIDING OFFICER COULD MELT NEW MAJORITY’S CREDIBILITY NAGKAISA! (N1), the country’s biggest labor coalition, respectfully but strongly disagrees with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.‘s view that there is no problem with Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero serving as Presiding Officer of the impeachment court of Vice President Sara Duterte. Our concern is not personal; it is institutional. The Senate should reject the President’s opinion and uphold the long-standing practice that the Senate President presides over impeachment trials not involving the President. Senate President Win Gatchalian should hold the gavel with firmness, independence, and fidelity to the Constitution. “In impeachment trials, the Senate President holds the gavel not because he is always right, but because institutions are bigger than personalities. The rules did not invent this tradition; they preserved it.” NAGKAISA! harbors serious doubts about Escudero’s suitability for this crucial role. He has become closely associated with the controversial interpretation of the constitutional command to proceed forthwith. Instead of moving swiftly, the impeachment process last year was dribbled and delayed. The Constitution said forthwith, not when convenient. Accountability delayed is accountability denied, and forthwith is not a traffic light that turns red when politics gets in the way. Every procedural delay has consequences, and every change in the rules affects public confidence. At a time when Senator Escudero is also facing public scrutiny over issues linked to flood control spending, the Senate should avoid appointing a presiding officer whose impartiality may already be questioned. An impeachment court demands more than legal brilliance—it requires public trust. Judges must not only be fair; they must also appear to be fair and remain above suspicion. With the legitimacy of the Senate Presidency now settled, NAGKAISA! urges the new Senate majority to allow Senate President Win Gatchalian to preside over the impeachment court. An impeachment court is like an ice sculpture: it takes years to build public trust, but only one wrong move to melt it. The Senate must remember—credibility, once melted, is difficult to recast.

Aric John Sy Cua @tmtariccua

2 weeks ago

Several opposition groups, however, are wary about the choice of Escudero as the trial’s presiding officer. manilatimes.net/2026/06/20/new…

0 0 1 966 0

In Biñan