Negros Occidental Gov. Isidro Zayco yesterday called on management to give workers dignity as the nation marks Labor Day today, and expressed hope that  cheaper medicines will be made available soon to ease the burden of rising prices on the people.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita yesterday said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was signing an executive order that will grant a 10 percent increase in the salaries of government workers to take effect July 1.

Acting Labor Secretary Marianito Roque, meanwhile, said regional wage boards will be unable to approve pay hikes for the private sector by today, but may be able to do so in the middle of the month after holding public hearings on the matter.

Zayco said Labor Day is a reminder of the need to honor the contribution of labor to the success of business and the economic growth of the nation.

It is also a reminder to management to give dignity to labor through proper wages and benefits, Zayco said.

He also said he was very happy Congress passed the cheaper medicines bill and expressed hope that when it is signed into law, to be known as the “Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008,” government will hasten its implementation.

People are in dire need of affordable medicines, and when they are sick they cannot wait, so the implementation of the law should be treated as an emergency, Zayco said.

Senator Mar Roxas, principal author of the bill in the Senate, yesterday stressed the need for “a collective heave of political will” to implement the cheaper medicines law.

“Approval of this law is one step, effective implementation is another. All the tools that can be used to lower the prices of medicines are in this measure, and it’s up to the executive branch to undertake its implementation with courage and conviction in partnership with different sectors,” Roxas said.

“It’s now up to the DOH to implement this new law with the help of the private sector and under the President’s leadership. Once it is enacted, we in the legislature will then convene an oversight committee to keep track of how it is being used to lower the costs of medicines,” he added.

“Our work is not yet done. Those who have vested interests in maintaining the status quo prefer and will work for the failure of this measure. We must be twice as determined as they are in working for its success,” Roxas said.*CPG

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