Workers in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Mimaropa will receive a wage hike, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

The National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) unanimously affirmed on 5 December 2024 the new wage orders issued by the respective Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs).

This will grant a P40 daily minimum wage increase across all provinces in CAR.

The increase brings the daily minimum wage from P430 to P470 upon effectivity.

RTWPB CAR likewise granted a P1,100 monthly increase for kasambahays (domestic workers) in the region, bringing the sector’s monthly minimum wage from P4,900 to P6,000.

The new wage order will take effect on 24 December 2024.

RTWPB Mimaropa also issued a wage order, increasing the daily minimum wage for private sector workers in the region by P35.

The minimum wage for workers in establishments with 10 workers and above will increase from P395 to P430, while those in establishments with fewer than 10 workers will increase from P369 to P404.

It similarly approved a P1,000 monthly increase for domestic workers in Mimaropa, bringing their minimum wage to P6,500.

This new wage order will take effect on 23 December.

The wage orders are expected to directly benefit a total of 74,961 minimum wage earners in these two regions.

About 252,055 full-time wage and salary workers earning above the minimum wage may also benefit indirectly as a result of upward adjustments at the enterprise level arising from the correction of wage distortions.

The wage increases for kasambahays are also expected to benefit a total of 40,116 domestic workers—approximately 25 percent or 10,002 of whom are in live-in arrangements.

To date, 12 wage orders (Regions: National Capital Region, CAR, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Soccsksargen) have been issued for workers in the private sector.

Additionally, six wage orders (Regions: CAR, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, and Eastern Visayas) have been issued for domestic workers. All these were initiated motu proprio.

For the other remaining regions, RTWPBs in Northern Mindanao and Caraga are in the final stages of the minimum wage determination process after completing their November and December 2024 public hearing schedules, while RTWPB XI is scheduled to commence in January 2025.

Meanwhile, RTWPB-V continues to closely monitor recovery efforts in the Bicol region, particularly after the recent typhoons' impact on communities and businesses.