Decision on ‘P1,200 basic pay’ petitions in NCR seen in July
The decision on the petitions calling for a P1,200 daily minimum wage for workers in Metro Manila is expected to be released in July, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole).
Dole spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Lennard Serrano on Thursday said the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) for the National Capital Region (NCR) had received 16 such petitions as of this week.
The latest was filed by the Business Process Outsourcing Industry Employees Network (BIEN) Philippines on Wednesday.
Cycle ‘exemption’ sought
The petitions on the NCR wage are also asking for an exemption from the 12-month “uninterrupted’’ wage cycle, citing the economic disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict, the official said.
He noted that the wage cycle for 2025-2026 had already ended and that the regional wage boards are now preparing for the 2026-2027 cycle.
“Let’s see how they (the NCR wage board) will treat the petition (as being) urgent and based on reasonable grounds,” he said, adding that the matter was included in the study for the board’s next issuance expected on July 18.
Last hike: P50
The last wage increase—by P50—in Metro Manila took effect on July 18 last year. It brought the daily basic pay for workers in the nonagricultural sector from P645 to P695.
“The NCR’s anniversary (since the last increase) is July 18; there may be a new wage order by then, Serrano said.
The other regional wage boards across the country are also currently reviewing wage hike petitions, he added.
In its petition, BIEN Philippines cited the combination of oil price hikes, the current national energy emergency, the shrinking purchasing power of the peso, and the rising prices of basic goods as “a supervening event that justifies the immediate review and increase of workers’ wages.”
