NCR tripartite board OKs P60 wage hike

MANILA, Philippines —  The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in the National Capital Region (RTWPB-NCR) has approved an increase of P60 in the daily minimum wage.

The increase, contained in Wage Order No. 28, was disclosed by Department of Labor and Employment-NCR regional director Roy Buenaflor at Tuesday’s hearing of the House committee on appropriations on DOLE’s proposed P47.057-billion budget for 2027.

The implementation of the increase remains subject to review by the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) as a previous P85 wage hike remains under court injunction.

Buenaflor said the regional board approved Wage Order No. 28 Monday night through a 4-3 vote and forwarded it to the NWPC for the required review.

If upheld by the commission, the P60 increase would raise the daily minimum wage for non-agricultural workers in Metro Manila from P695 to P755.

Buenaflor said the wage order may be published as early as tomorrow, with the increase taking effect on Sept. 26 or 27, depending on the publication date.

The new wage order drew questions from lawmakers because the implementation of Wage Order No. 27, which granted a total P85 wage increase, remains suspended by the Pasig Regional Trial Court.

Deputy Speaker Raymond Mendoza questioned the basis for issuing a new wage order while the legal dispute involving Wage Order No. 27 remains unresolved.

Buenaflor said the regional board considered the new wage order as a way of immediately providing workers with the first tranche of the wage increase previously approved under Wage Order No. 27.

But Mendoza said the explanation was insufficient and raised concerns that the new order could cause legal complications.

Wage Order No. 27, announced by  Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino in June, provided for a P85 increase in two tranches. The first P65 increase was supposed to take effect on July 25, followed by another P20 increase on Jan. 20, 2027.

Its implementation was initially stopped by a temporary restraining order issued by the Pasig RTC Branch 125 following a petition filed by two construction companies. The court later issued a writ of preliminary injunction, further preventing the implementation of the wage increase.

The Office of the Solicitor General has sought the lifting of the injunction and asked the Pasig court to resolve its pending motion for reconsideration.

Labor groups, meanwhile, criticized the issuance of Wage Order No. 28 and vowed to continue pushing for the implementation of Wage Order No. 27.

The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) and NAGKAISA Labor Coalition said they understand the position of the RTWPB-NCR and Tolentino but welcomed the move to provide workers with the P60 increase.

However, FFW president Sonny Matula said the groups would not abandon their legal fight for the full P85 increase under Wage Order No. 27.

“FFW clearly holds that a court that has no jurisdiction cannot erase July 25 with an injunction. And a new wage order should not erase July 25 with a ‘whereas’ clause,” Matula said.

“Give the P60 now. We welcome that. But don’t ask workers to exchange their possible July 25 arrears and P25 second tranche for it,” Matula said. “Plan B may move wages forward. It should not bury Plan A.”

Kamanggagawa party-list Rep. Eli San Fernando criticized the issuance of Wage Order No. 28, describing it as a reduction of the wage increase previously granted under Wage Order No. 27.

“Instead of standing by Wage Order No. 27, which was suspended by what I consider an illegal injunction issued by the Pasig RTC, the DOLE took a different course by issuing Wage Order No. 28,” San Fernando said.

Meanwhile, Malacañang assured the nation that efforts are underway to generate jobs and lure investments after the country’s unemployment rate rose to its highest level in four years.

The joblessness rate was at six percent in July, higher than the 4.9 percent posted in June and the 5.3 percent in the same period last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. Last July’s rate is equivalent to 3.14 million Filipinos without job. It is the highest since June 2022. . - Alexis Romero