The P60 daily minimum wage increase in the National Capital Region will take effect Saturday, 26 September.

The increase follows the 11 September publication of Wage Order No. NCR-28 issued by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-NCR.

The Federation of Free Workers welcomed the new wage order but said it would continue pursuing its case involving Wage Order No. NCR-27, which granted an earlier P85 daily increase but remains the subject of a case before the Supreme Court.

“May dagdag-sahod bukas, pero may bayarin pa kahapon. Hindi nabubura ng bagong wage order ang bigas na inutang, upa na naantala, at kuryenteng kailangang bayaran,” FFW President Sonny Matula said.

(There will be a wage increase tomorrow, but workers still have bills from yesterday. The new wage order does not erase debts for rice, delayed rent and electricity bills that still need to be paid.)

FFW is among the petitioners asking the Supreme Court to uphold Wage Order No. NCR-27.

“Wage Order 27, hindi namin isinusuko,” Matula said.

(We are not giving up on Wage Order 27.)

Under Wage Order No. NCR-28, the daily minimum wage for workers in the non-agricultural sector will increase to P755.

Workers in the agricultural sector, retail and service establishments employing 15 workers or fewer, and manufacturing establishments with fewer than 10 workers will receive a daily minimum wage of P718.

The petitions before the Supreme Court seek to overturn a Pasig City Regional Trial Court order that stopped the implementation of the P85 increase under Wage Order No. NCR-27.

The lower court acted on pleadings filed by construction firms Readycon Trading and R-II Builders seeking to block the wage increase.