Private sector workers in Region 4B are set to receive a P40 daily increase in their wages starting Dec. 7, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Wednesday, Nov. 22.
Region 4B covers the provinces of Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan.
The increase would make the daily minimum wage in companies with 10 or more workers to P395 while those fewer than 10 to P 369.
DOLE said the wage hike was approved by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) on Oct. 24 and subsequently affirmed by the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) on Nov. 19.
The wage order was published on Nov. 21 and shall take effect after 15 days from publication.
DOLE stated that 46,861 workers will gain directly from the salary hike, and upward adjustments at the firm level could benefit 113,324 full-time workers who make more than the minimum wage indirectly.
The regional wage board also issued a separate order raising the monthly minimum wage of Mimaropa's nearly 28,000 domestic workers by P1,000, bringing it to P5,500.
The region employs about 28,269 domestic workers, of whom 21% or 5,800 are in live-in arrangements.
Applications for exemption from paying the new minimum wage with the RTWPB are welcome from retail or service establishments that typically employ fewer than ten employees, as well as from businesses affected by natural or man-made disasters.
The most recent increase for Mimaropa minimum wage earners was in June 2022. 9Trixee Rosel)