Malacañang said the announcement of a P85 increase in the daily minimum wage was not connected to the staging of a surprise rally by members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) along EDSA.

Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said there is no link between the two, responding to those questioning the timing of the announcement. 

In a Palace briefing on Tuesday, June 30, Castro stressed that if the announcement was made on the same day, it only meant that it had been drafted prior.

"Kung in-announce po ito ngayon, ibig sabihin way back naka-draft na siya. So, ibig sabihin way back a month ago napag-aralan po ito (If this was announced today, it means it had already been drafted well before now. In other words, it had already been studied at least a month ago)," Castro said.

"Kasi hindi po gagawin ni Labor Secretary Tolentino, kasi ito ay pinag-uusapan. Kaya nga po Regional Tripartite Productivity Wages Board, kasi grupo po ito na sila ang magde-decide. 

The Palace spokesperson further stressed that Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino would not have done this on his own "because this is something that undergoes discussion."

She stressed that it was collectively decided by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board.

"So, huwag nilang bigyan ng malisya kung ngayon in-announce (So, people should not read malice into the fact that it was announced today)," Castro said.

"Kasi mayroong mga mambabatas humihuling na itaas ang suweldo ‘di ba? ‘pag ngayon binigay at itinaas ang suweldo, sasabihin nila tina-timing. So, hindi na natin alam kung saan tayo pupunta (Because there are lawmakers who have been calling for wage increases, right? If the salary increase were granted today, they would say it was timed for political purposes. So, we really don't know what people want or where they expect us to go)," she lamented.

More than 1.1 million minimum wage earners in the National Capital Region (NCR) are expected to benefit from the P85 daily pay increase following the approval of a new wage order by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB).
 
According to Castro, the wage increase will be implemented in two phases.
 
The first phase, amounting to P60, will take effect on July 19, while the second phase, amounting to P25, will be implemented in January 2027.