Dole: No minimum wage hike for May 1
There will be no minimum wage increase on May 1, Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) Undersecretary Benedicto Ernesto Bitonio Jr. said on Wednesday as he stressed that future adjustments will remain under the authority of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs).
Absent a new law that mandates an across-the-board nationwide wage hike, the boards in each region will continue to monitor economic conditions, including inflation, prices and regional developments, before setting wage increases.
Labor federation Trade Union Congress of the Philippines called for a P200 wage hike in early March because of the expected effects of the Middle East conflict, but such petitions will be reviewed according to the RTWPBs’ regular schedule.
Bitonio said that under the current 2025-2026 wage cycle, all regions have already implemented adjustments. The next cycle for 2026-2027 is set to begin in May.
“The Regional Tripartite Wage Boards have been tasked with determining and adjusting minimum wage rates at the regional level using a tripartite approach,” he said at the Kapihan sa Manila Hotel forum.
Impending adjustments
Under this approach, the RTWPBs include representatives from the government, labor and employers in consultations deciding the need for a wage hike.
Bitonio, meanwhile, provided a schedule for upcoming regional wage adjustments.
Region 4-A implemented its second tranche on April 1, following the first tranche on Oct. 5, 2025, granting a total daily salary increase of P25 to P100 for minimum wage earners in Calabarzon.
In Region 5, the first tranche of a P20 wage increase for private-sector workers in Bicol takes effect on April 8, bringing the minimum daily wage to P455. A second tranche of P25 will follow on Dec. 1, raising the minimum to P480.
Other scheduled adjustments are Region 3 on April 16, Caraga and Region 10 on May 1, and Regions 6 and 8 on June 1.
Review needed
On the other hand, public consultations in the National Capital Region are set to begin in mid-May.
Moreover, in Region 7, workers filed a request for a P100 wage increase, citing the energy emergency.
However, the board will review the merit of the petition before deciding if an adjustment is warranted, especially since it has not been a full year since the previous wage order.
Beyond wage adjustments, Dole emphasized that its programs focus on livelihood support and emergency employment, rather than direct cash handouts.
Asked about its programs that provide financial aid to repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and other workers displaced by the Middle East conflict, Bitonio said these fall under the mandate of the Department of Social Welfare and Development or the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
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