To counter the rosy picture of employment and the economy being painted by the government, a fashion show was staged in Quezon City on Sunday to highlight the state of workers’ labor and human rights.

The fashion show, titled “Runway to Reality: Pakikibaka ng mga Manggagawa sa Ilalim ng Administrasyong Marcos Jr. (Workers’ Struggles Under the Marcos Jr. Administration),” was organized by the labor institution, Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) and was held in the Occupational Safety and Health Center along Agham Road in Diliman.

“The country’s employment and economic situation looks so rosy, according to the government. The situation of workers’ labor and human rights paints a totally different story. Through this fashion show, we engage with the government’s beautiful spectacle and use that as a runway to see the ugly reality faced by workers,” said Kamille Deligente, CTUHR deputy executive director.

The runway witnessed the works of designers Gil S., Cyrix Muyco, Jay Bi, Jhun Lacaran and Charyzah Esparrago. The designers offered their works for the fashion show to express their solidarity with the plight and struggles of Filipino workers. Models from the Farah Models agency brought the pieces to life on the ramp, under the direction of Ms. Farah Ramos.

In June, the government reported a 96.3 percent employment rate, higher than the 96.1 percent in the previous month, and a 3.7 percent unemployment rate, lower than the 3.9 percent in the previous month. It also said that the economy grew by 5.5 percent in the second quarter, faster than the 5.4 percent in the first quarter.

“The government brags about the slightest improvement in employment and economic figures, even if these are worse than those in the previous year. More importantly, these are not reflected in improvements in workers’ labor and human rights. They are like make-up that only prettifies a corpse,” Deligente added.

CTUHR said that improvements in the employment and economic situation should mean an improvement in labor and human rights. An increase in jobs, for example, is a better condition for raising workers’ wages than a decrease in jobs.

“One of the main labor rights that we highlighted is the right to a living wage, which is stated in the country’s 1987 Constitution. Everyone knows that the minimum wage is not enough to meet the basic needs of workers and their families. That’s why even the government made a charade out of legislating a significant wage hike, which did not push through. The truth is that even the biggest wage hike granted by the wage boards does not suffice to meet worker’s basic needs,” Deligente said.

The Senate and Congress deliberated a bill legislating a P100 increase in the minimum wage nationwide. The bill was junked, and the Metro Manila wage board approved a P50 wage hike for the National Capital Region, the highest in its history and serves as a signal to other regional wage boards. The resulting minimum wage of P695 for non-agricultural workers is only 57%, or more than half, of the P1,217 family living wage according to independent think-tank Ibon Foundation’s computation.