Calabarzon worker to get wage hike

MANILA, Philippines — Minimum wage earners in Calabarzon will get an increase in their daily take- home pay.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III announced yesterday that the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) issued a wage order granting an increase of P47 to P92.

The wage order sets the new minimum pay in the non-agriculture sector to P470 in the extended metropolitan area and cities of Antipolo and Dasmariñas, P429 in component cities and first class municipalities and P390 in second to sixth class municipalities.

The new minimum wage rate in the agriculture sector was set to P429 in the extended metropolitan area as well as in Antipolo, Dasmariñas, component cities and first class municipalities.

The new rate in second and third class municipalities was raised to P390 and P350 in fourth to sixth class municipalities.

Bello said the new minimum wage in retail and service establishments with not more than 10 workers was set at P350 or an increase of P47 from the current P303.

He said the wage hike would be given in two tranches.

Workers will benefit from salary hike upon its effectivity and six months thereafter.

Bello said the RTWPB cited the restoration of the purchasing power of workers, impact of the COVID pandemic, competitiveness of wage levels between and across contiguous similarly situated regions, simplification of the prevailing wage structure and the need to promote industry dispersal as among the parameters in approving the new wage order in the region.

The RTWPB in Davao region had earlier granted an increase of P47 in the daily pay of workers in agriculture, non-agriculture and retail and service establishments.

Bello said the pay hike would be implemented in two tranches – P31 upon its effectivity and another P16 on Jan. 1, 2023.

Another P15 shall be granted to workers in retail and service establishments employing not more than 10 workers effective April 1 next year.

The wage board also raised the minimum monthly rate of domestic workers in Davao to P4,500, with an increase of P1,500 and P2,500 for chartered cities and first class municipalities and other municipalities, respectively.

“Around 154,763 workers in private establishments and 64,111 domestic workers in the Davao region are expected to benefit from the wage increases,” Bello said.

The new wage orders in Calabarzon and Davao were submitted to the National Wages and Productivity Commission for review and affirmation.

Thse will take effect 15 days after publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the region.