Palace to fight TRO on NCR wage hike, vows balanced approach

Malacañang on Friday said the Marcos administration will defend the P85 minimum wage increase for workers in Metro Manila while also considering the concerns raised by employers affected by the wage order.

The statement came a day after the Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 152 issued a temporary restraining order halting the implementation of the wage increase until 13 August following a petition filed by Readycon Trading and Construction Corp. and R-II Builders Inc.

"According to Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino, we will comply with the court's order. But the fight does not end here. The government will continue to fight for what it believes is right for our workers," Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in Filipino in a video statement.

The two construction firms asked the court to issue declaratory relief clarifying their rights and obligations under NCR Wage Order No. 27.

Castro said the government also intends to hear the concerns of business owners.

"We will also listen to the concerns of employers. It is better to strike a balance so that both employees and employers can arrive at a win-win solution without creating deeper problems," she said.

Also on Thursday, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines condemned the petition seeking to suspend the implementation of Wage Order No. 27 issued by the National Capital Region Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board.

The labor group said the petition seeks to deprive Metro Manila workers of the long-awaited P85 daily wage increase, beginning with the P60 first tranche that took effect on 25 July, while the remaining P25 is scheduled for release next year.

"This is the height of corporate greed, desperation and utter indifference to the daily suffering of Filipino workers," the TUCP said in a statement.

The group argued that the petition is not merely an attempt to block the wage increase but also an attack on the country's wage-fixing system under the Wage Rationalization Act (Republic Act No. 6727).

TUCP said employers actively participated in the deliberations of the wage board and were given the opportunity to present evidence before the wage order was approved.

"They were heard. They presented evidence. They voted. They lost. Now they seek to obtain in court what they failed to achieve through the legal process established by Congress," the labor group said.