The National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) has approved salary adjustments for minimum wage earners in the Calabarzon and Central Visayas regions, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced on Tuesday, Sept. 17.
In a statement, DOLE said the decision of the NWPC to grant the wage increase will benefit a total of 1.2 million minimum wage earners and will also have a positive impact on around 2.7 million full-time workers earning above the minimum wage due to wage distortion corrections.
In Calabarzon, the NWPC affirmed the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards' (RTWPB) decision to implement a daily wage increase of P21 to P75 in two equal tranches, with the first tranche effective this year and the second in April 2025.
Calabarzon region covers the area of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon.
Following this adjustment, daily minimum wages will rise from P450 to P560 in the non-agriculture sector; from P425 to P500 in the agriculture sector.
In Central Visayas, the RTWPB has issued a wage order that will increase daily minimum wages ranging from P33 to P43, effective Oct. 2.
The adjustment coincides with the anniversary of the previous wage increase and aims to standardize wage rates across both agriculture and non-agriculture sectors.
Under the new wage order, minimum wages will be set at P501 in Class A areas, P463 in Class B, and P453 in Class C.
Class A includes cities such as Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue City, as well as municipalities in expanded Metro Cebu.
Class B covers cities like Bais, Bayawan, Bogo, Canlaon, Dumaguete, Guihulngan, Tagbilaran City, Tanjay, and Toledo, while Class C encompasses other towns outside Classes A and B.
The labor department estimates that the new wage orders will result in a seven to eight percent increase in the current minimum rates for workers in private establishments.