Minimum wage increases in the Philippines

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region (RTWPB-NCR) approved Wage Order No. 28, which granted a P60 daily pay increase for private sector workers in Metro Manila. This order followed legal complications involving a previous P85 increase mandate, which was halted by a temporary restraining order from a Pasig City Regional Trial Court. While Senator Joel Villanueva criticized the issuance of a second order, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) clarified that the P60 hike was not a deduction from the original proposal.

By late September, the P60 daily increase took effect in the National Capital Region, raising non-agricultural wages to P755 and agricultural, small retail, and service sector wages to P718. This implementation affects approximately 1.1 million workers.

Simultaneously, minimum wage increases were implemented in Central Visayas. In Class A areas, including the expanded Metro Cebu zone, the daily minimum wage rose from P540 to P582, while Class B areas saw an increase from P500 to P542. Domestic workers in the region also saw monthly minimums rise from P7,000 to P7,500.