If you watch 24 Oras or Saksi on GMA 7 tonight (April 16), you might see me explain my views on the wage hike debate.

I was just interviewed a few minutes ago by a GMA 7 reporter who, in the course of her research on the topic, came across an article I wrote in January 2007.

The article is titled “The Logic Behind a Legislated Wage Hike” published in Bulatlat Online Magazine. The reporter asked questions regarding the points I raised in this article.

I also provided updates on my computations with regard to how a wage increase could affect cost of production, at least in the manufacturing sector. If you would read my article, you would notice that I only used 2006 data, hence the need for updates. True enough, the effect on the overall cost of production is lower now than my estimates two years ago.

Just out of curiosity, I searched “legislated wage hike” in Google and, to my surprise, my January 2007 article currently ranks fifth.

I don’t think that this is a reflection of lack of more current research on a very important issue. Then again, I consider this a wake-up call to write once more about wages, especially in the wake of the current rice crisis.

Update (April 17, 1:25 pm): That’s me being interviewed by 24 Oras (GMA 7) last night (April 16, around 6:40 pm). I don’t know if I deserve to be called “political analyst,” but I agreed to it when it was suggested by the reporter. If you want to view the entire news cast, kindly click the image above. Thank you for reading.