P42 WAGE HIKE APPROVED IN CENTRAL VISAYAS. 

The National Wages and Productivity Commission has approved a P42 daily minimum wage increase in Central Visayas, Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said Sunday.

The adjustment is expected to benefit nearly 385,000 minimum wage earners and will take effect on 14 October, 15 days after its scheduled publication on 28 September. Tolentino said the increase translates to about P1,092 more per month.

The wage hike covers Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor. Tolentino also pushed back against claims that the increase was insufficient, noting that labor representatives, including the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, participated in the tripartite wage-setting process.