Groups: P42 wage hike “inadequate”

CEBU, Philippines — Workers’ groups in Central Visayas have rejected the newly approved P42 daily wage increase, saying the adjustment is inadequate amid the region’s high inflation and rising cost of basic necessities.

In a joint statement issued Sunday, Partido Manggagawa (PM) and Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (Sentro) pressed for a P200 legislated pay hike nationwide and the abolition of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs).

The groups said the increase from P540 to P582 in Class A areas, including expanded Metro Cebu, would not sufficiently address workers’ declining purchasing power.

The National Wages and Productivity Commission currently lists Central Visayas’ minimum wage under Wage Order No. ROVII-26 at P500 to P540. The P582 rate cited by the groups comes from the newly approved wage order, which will take effect on October 14, 2026.

They also pointed to the widening difference between Central Visayas and the National Capital Region, where the current non-agricultural minimum wage is P755 per day. This represents a P173 daily gap against the P582 rate cited for Class A areas in the region.

The groups argued that the regional wage-setting system has resulted in different wage floors despite workers facing increasingly interconnected prices and costs across regions.

They urged Congress to replace the regionalized wage-setting system with a national minimum wage law.

Meanwhile, AMA Sugbo-KMU also criticized the P42 increase. Its chairperson Jaime Paglinawan said the adjustment would not be enough for workers and their families.

“Ang P42 nga umento sa suholan dinhi sa Central Visayas nga ipatuman sugod sa October 14, 2026 … Gamay kaayo ug dili makabuhi,” Paglinawan said.

He said the new wage would remain far behind the P755 minimum wage in the capital and would not keep pace with the rising prices of basic commodities, electricity, and water.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that Central Visayas recorded 8.1 percent inflation in August 2026, down from 8.7 percent in July but still higher than the national inflation rate of 6.1 percent. The region’s January-to-August average inflation was 8.4 percent.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for the largest share of regional inflation at 42.3 percent, followed by housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels at 19.7 percent, and transport at 17.8 percent.

Inflation among the bottom 30 percent of income households in Central Visayas was even higher at 10.4 percent in August, although this was down from 11.6 percent in July.

Paglinawan said workers should receive what he described as a living wage, citing a proposed P1,200 national minimum wage.

He also pointed to Central Visayas’ economic output, saying workers generated wealth worth P1.19 trillion in 2023, P1.28 trillion in 2024, and P1.32 trillion in 2025.

“Kinahanglan na ang Kongreso ug Senado maoy motakda og balaodnon alang sa umento sa suholan nga makabuhi aron adunay dignidad ang atong mga mamumuo,” Paglinawan said. — (FREEMAN)