Malacañang assured Monday that the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) is prepared to defend a government wage board’s decision to raise the daily minimum wage in the National Capital Region (NCR) by P85, following a regional trial court’s order halting its implementation.

Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said during a press briefing that government lawyers are preparing a response to oppose a temporary restraining order issued by the Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 152, while maintaining that the administration respects the court’s process.

“The Office of the Solicitor General is ready to fight for the wage order passed for our workers,” Castro said.

Castro supported arguments raised by Akbayan Representative Chel Diokno that local courts lack the jurisdiction to block wage orders, citing Article 126 of the Labor Code, which prohibits court injunctions against wage order implementations.

“It appears that the proper remedy for anyone with concerns should have been to file an appeal with the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board, and not in court,” said Castro, who is also a litigation lawyer.

The legal challenge was brought by two construction firms which filed a petition for declaratory relief questioning whether employers’ capacity to pay was adequately considered.

They argued that the adjustment would adversely affect businesses and asked the court to clarify employer rights while suspending the order.

The Pasig court granted a 20-day TRO, ordering the companies to post a P1 million bond, and scheduled a hearing on their application for a writ of preliminary injunction for 3 August.

Castro declined to speculate on whether the wage increase would immediately take effect when the 20-day TRO expires on 13 August, saying the matter remains up to the court.

Meanwhile, labor groups moved Monday to intervene in the court case, filing a 26-page motion asking the Pasig court to lift the TRO.

Kamanggagawa Partylist Rep. Elijah “Eli” San Fernando, alongside the NAGKAISA! Labor Coalition and allied labor organizations, argued that the construction companies improperly bypassed administrative remedies under the Labor Code, which mandates that challenges to wage board decisions be brought first to the National Wages and Productivity Commission.