P42 daily wage hike okayed for CV

The National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) has approved a P42 increase in the daily minimum wage in Central Visayas, with the adjustment taking effect on 14 October, Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Secretary Francis Tolentino announced Sunday.

The increase is expected to benefit nearly 385,000 minimum wage earners in the region.

The new rates will bring the daily minimum wage in Class A areas to P582 from P540, while workers in Class B areas will receive P542 from P500, Tolentino said.

For domestic workers or kasambahays, the minimum wage will increase by P500, from P7,000 to P7,500.

The adjustment covers workers in Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, with Negros Oriental and Siquijor included because no wage board has yet been established for the Negros Island Region, Tolentino said.

The NWPC approved the increase in a 5-0 vote, with two members absent, during its meeting in Cebu City on 26 September. The wage-setting process began on 7 April, following the 7-0 vote of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB-7) on 14 September in favor of the increase.

DoLE-7 OIC-Regional Director Emmanuel Ferrer said the regional wage board had agreed from the outset that there would be a wage increase, but the adjustment had to be acceptable to both labor and management.

The new wage order will replace the current rates under Wage Order No. ROVII-26, which took effect in October 2025. Micro, small and medium enterprises may apply for an exemption if they find the increase unaffordable, subject to DoLE approval.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), however, criticized the increase as inadequate, citing the region’s inflation and cost of living.

House Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza, speaking for TUCP, said the P42 increase was insufficient and called for the passage of a P200 legislated wage hike.

TUCP also questioned the Class A and Class B wage distinctions and cited an estimated regional family living wage of about P1,400 per day, saying the new P582 minimum wage remains well below that level.