"Upper-middle income" status rings hollow when workers earn half the living wage—Tinio blasts World Bank reclassification as propaganda masking inequality

ACT Teachers Representative and Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio dismissed the World Bank’s reclassification of the Philippines as an upper-middle-income nation, calling it meaningless propaganda that obscures the grinding poverty and exploitation of Filipino workers.

“Ipinagmamalaki ng administrasyong Marcos Jr. ang ‘upper-middle income’ status habang ang average na manggagawa ay kumikita lamang ng P510 kada araw—wala pang kalahati ng P1,312 na kinakailangang living wage,” Tinio said. “Anong uri ng economic progress ito kung ang mga taong gumagawa ng yaman ay hindi makakain ng maayos?”

The representative pointed to the stark contradiction between the World Bank’s optimistic assessment and the lived reality of Filipino workers. While the government celebrates a GNI per capita of $4,850, the vast majority of workers remain trapped in poverty despite supposed decades of economic growth.

“Ayon sa WB, limang taon na raw na lumalaki ang ekonomiya ng average na 5.8 percent kada taon, pero ang sahod ng manggagawa ay halos nakapako lang ang halaga,” Tinio noted. “Saan napunta ang yaman na ito? Sa bulsa ng mga kapitalista at sa mga kurakot ba?”

Tinio emphasized that the World Bank’s classification measures aggregate national income, not the distribution of that income among the population. The Philippines’ supposed advancement masks deepening inequality and the immiseration of the working class.

“Sinasabi ng World Bank na ‘broad-based expansion’ ang dahilan ng pag-asenso. Pero anong katotohanan ang makikita kung tiningnan natin ang actual wages?” Tinio asked. “Even with the paltry P85 staggered increase in the NCR, workers still earn barely half the living wage. Ito ba ang ‘broad-based expansion’? Expansion lamang ng tubo ng mga negosyante.”

The representative condemned the government’s own acknowledgment—through DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan—that “income disparities persist and many continue to face economic difficulties,” while simultaneously celebrating the income reclassification.

“Pag-amin ito na may problema pa rin, pero ginagawa pa ring dahilan ng pagdiriwang ang ‘upper-middle income’ status,” Tinio said. “Ito ay pangungutya sa mga manggagawa na patuloy na naghihirap.”

The ACT Teachers representative reiterated his party’s call for the passage of House Bill No. 202—the P1,200 Living Wage Bill—as the only meaningful response to the Filipino workers’ plight.

“Walang halaga ang ‘upper-middle income’ status kung ang ordinaryong Pilipino ay hindi makakabili ng pagkain at damit,” Tinio declared. “Kailangan natin ng tunay na ekonomikong pag-unlad—isa kung saan ang lahat ng manggagawa ay kumikita ng living wage at may access sa basic services.”

“Huwag tayong lokohin ng mga numero at mga klasipikasyon,” Tinio concluded. “Ang tunay na sukatan ng pag-unlad ay kung kailan ang bawat Pilipino ay may dignidad, seguridad sa trabaho at sapat na kita para sa kanilang pamilya.”