Malacañang on Tuesday said the government cannot simply grant wage increase requests, saying the Department of Labor and Employment’s Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) must first determine whether proposed increases are fair to both workers and employers.

“We recognize the situation of our workers, but we also have to balance it with the capacity of employers. It is difficult to grant a substantial wage increase if employers cannot sustain it,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said during a Palace briefing.

Castro was responding to the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, which criticized the newly approved P85 daily wage increase in the National Capital Region.