Western Visayas, Soccsksargen workers to get wage hikes by Nov. 19

MANILA, Philippines — Minimum wage earners in Western Visayas and Soccsksargen will receive higher pay starting Nov. 19, following the approval of new wage orders granting increases of up to P45 a day.

Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino announced on Tuesday that the National Wages and Productivity Commission had approved the wage adjustments following consultations between workers and employers.

Under Wage Order No. VI-30, private-sector workers in Western Visayas will receive daily wage increases of P40 to P45, depending on their employment category.

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READ: Dole OKs new wage order for W. Visayas, Negros Occidental

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Workers in nonagricultural, industrial and commercial establishments employing more than 10 workers will receive a P40 increase, raising their daily minimum wage from P550 to P590.

Those employed in smaller establishments with 10 or fewer workers will also receive a P40 increase, bringing their minimum wage from P525 to P565.

READ: Dole: P25 NCR wage hike still possible if Wage Order 27 is upheld in court

Meanwhile, agricultural workers will receive a P45 increase, raising their daily minimum wage from P520 to P565.

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The adjustment is expected to benefit around 193,000 minimum wage earners in the region.

Domestic workers will receive a P500 increase in their monthly minimum wage, from P6,500 to P7,000. Around 161,000 domestic workers are expected to benefit from the adjustment.

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Highest

Tolentino said the new rates would make Western Visayas one of the regions with the highest minimum wages in the country, second only to Metro Manila.

The approval comes amid earlier objections from business groups and labor organizations in Negros Occidental, which expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed adjustment when it was still awaiting approval.

Juliana Carbon, president of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said local business owners feared the increase would raise operating costs and force businesses to pass on the additional expenses to consumers through higher prices.

Labor groups, meanwhile, described the proposed increase as inadequate amid rising prices and declining purchasing power.

In Soccsksargen, private-sector workers will receive a P41 daily wage increase in two tranches under Wage Order No. XII-26.

The first tranche, which takes effect on Nov. 19, will grant workers an additional P16 a day. The remaining P25 increase will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.

Once both tranches are implemented, the daily minimum wage for nonagricultural, retail and service workers will rise from P460 to P501. For agricultural workers, the rate will increase from P443 to P484.

Around 209,000 private-sector workers are expected to benefit from the new wage order.

Domestic workers in the region will also receive a P450 monthly increase, bringing their minimum wage from P6,000 to P6,450. The adjustment is expected to benefit around 38,000 domestic workers and will take effect on Nov. 19.

Tolentino said the wage adjustments took into account the rising cost of living, inflation, workers’ purchasing power and employers’ capacity to provide higher compensation.

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“We considered the cost of living, the inflation, the purchasing power of pesos, and also the needs of workers and the ability of companies and businessmen to give additional wages,” he said. /cb