MANILA, Philippines – The regional wage boards of Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Soccsksargen have approved minimum daily wage increases across all sectors, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced on Wednesday, October 2.
“The adjustments, which vary per region, were reached through a collaborative consensus and unanimously approved by the members of the respective RTWPBs (Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards),” the DOLE said in a statement.
The wage order will take effect on October 17.
Cagayan Valley
In Cagayan Valley, all workers across non-agriculture and agriculture sectors will receive a P30 increase. For non-agriculture workers, the new minimum wage will be P480 a day, and for the agriculture sector, the new minimum wage is P460 a day.
Domestic workers in the same region will also receive a P500 increase in their monthly minimum wage. The new minimum for domestic workers will be P6,000.
Central Luzon
In Central Luzon, wage hikes will be released in tranches — the first upon effectivity on October 17, and the second on April 16, 2025.
On October 17, in the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales, the new minimum wages will be P525 for the non-agriculture sector, P495 for the agriculture sector, and P515 for retail and service establishments. The increases range from P25 to P41.
In the province of Aurora, the increases range from P26 to P38. The new minimum wages will be P475 for non-agriculture workers, P460 for agriculture workers, and P410 for retail and service workers.
For the second tranche, on April 16, the first set of provinces will have a P25 increase across all sectors. The new minimum wage then will be P550 for non-agriculture, P520 for agriculture, and P540 for retail and service.
Aurora will also get P25 increases for the second tranche. Minimum wages in the province will then be P500 for non-agriculture, P485 for agriculture, and P435 for retail and service.
Soccsksargen
Soccsksargen will implement its wage hike in two tranches for non-agriculture and agriculture, and four tranches for service and retail.
On October 17, all sectors will get a P14 increase. New minimum wages will be P417 for non-agriculture, and P396 for agriculture as well as service and retail.
For the second tranche on January 1, 2025, the non-agriculture sector will get a P13 increase, bringing the minimum wage to P430. The agriculture sector will receive another P14 increase to bring the wage to P410.
Service and retail workers will get increases of P14, P10, and another P10 on January 1, April 1, and June 1, respectively. Their final wage for this wage order will be P430 by June 1.
The wage orders are expected to directly benefit around 905,000 minimum wage earners in the three regions, and around 1.7 million full-time wage and salary workers earning above the minimum who may indirectly benefit from upward adjustments.
Last Labor Day, May 1, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered all wage boards to review minimum wages within 60 days prior to the anniversary of their most recent wage order, citing increasing prices.
The labor sector has long been calling for a legislated across-the-board minimum wage increase, saying that the current system with regional boards no longer significantly improves workers’ quality of life.
The Senate has approved the bill seeking a P100 legislated wage increase. Meanwhile, proposals ranging from P100 to P750 remain pending at the House committee level. – Rappler.com
