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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Raffy Tulfo pushes for across-the-board minimum wage for Metro Manila, province workers

Raffy Tulfo pushes for across-the-board minimum wage for Metro Manila, province workers

Published Sep 5, 2025 02:44 pm

At A Glance

  • Senator Raffy Tulfo urged the adoption of an across-the-board minimum wage, arguing it would address inflation's equal impact on goods and reduce provincial workers' migration to Manila
Sen. Raffy Tulfo is pushing for an across-the-board minimum wage for workers in Metro Manila and the provinces. 
Senator Raffy Tulfo (Senate PRIB photo)
Senator Raffy Tulfo (Senate PRIB photo)
Tulfo, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Labor and Employment said that currently, the daily minimum wage for non-agricultural workers in the National Capital Region (NCR) stands at ₱695, while wages in several provinces remain significantly lower—for example, ₱411 in BARMM and ₱415 in CARAGA.
During a recent committee hearing, Sen. Tulfo urged the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and labor experts to seriously study his proposal. 
He emphasized that the prices of basic goods such as fuel, food, and medicine rise equally due to inflation regardless of location. In fact, he pointed out that fuel—which drives the economy—is often more expensive in the provinces than in Metro Manila.
According to Tulfo, equalizing wages would also discourage workers in the provinces from migrating to Manila just to find jobs with better pay.
"Ang masakit pa, marami sa mga taga-probinsya ay naliliitan sa sweldo doon na hindi kaya bumuhay ng pamilya kaya lumuluwas sila sa Metro Manila. Pero pagdating sa Maynila, napakarami ring manggagawa kaya yung iba ay napupunta rin sa kumpanya na nagpapasahod ng minimum wage, o kapag minalas talaga, babalik lang uli sila sa probinsya (What’s worse is that many people from the provinces find the wages there too small to support a family, so they move to Metro Manila. But when they get to Manila, there are already so many workers that some end up in companies that only pay minimum wage—or if they’re really unlucky, they just end up going back to the province)," he said.
DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma committed to reviewing the proposal and conducting thorough consultations with the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards under the NWPC.

Related Tags

Raffy Tulfo Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) minimum wage
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