DOLE: Minimum wage hikes take effect this month

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday said the minimum wage increase orders approved by the 16 regional wage boards across the country have taken effect or are set to be implemented this month.

In a statement, the DOLE said the decision of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPB) in Eastern Visayas and the Zamboanga Peninsula Region completed the series of minimum wage orders issued by RTWPBs across the country.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III earlier ordered RTWPBs across the country to review minimum wages, noting the previous P537 daily minimum wage in the National Capital Region (NCR) may no longer be enough to cover food, electricity, and water bills.

The P50-pay hike for minimum wage workers in Eastern Visayas will take effect on June 27, while the P35-wage increase in the Zamboanga Peninsula will take effect on June 25, bringing the new minimum wage rates to P345-P375 in Region 8 and P338-P351 in Region 9.

The new minimum wage of P533-P570 in the NCR took effect on June 4, followed by Western Visayas, where the minimum wage of P410-P450 took effect on June 5, and the Ilocos and Caraga regions where the minimum wage of P372-P400 and P350, respectively, took effect on June 6.

The new minimum wage in the following regions are also in effect:

• P400-P420 in Cagayan Valley starting June 8
• P347-P368 in SOCCSKSARGEN starting June 9
• P329-P355 in Mimaropa starting June 10
• P400 in CAR and P382-P435 in Central Visayas starting June 14

The new minimum wage of P365 in the Bicol Region and P378–P405 in Northern Mindanao will take effect on June 18.

In Davao Region, the minimum wage of P438-P443 will take effect on June 19; while in Central Luzon, the P344-P460 new minimum wage will be implemented on June 20.

Calabarzon’s new minimum wage of P350-P470 will take effect on June 30.

Domestic workers or kasambahays in 13 regions are also set to benefit from higher wages this month.

The new monthly minimum wage of P4,500 in Western Visayas took effect on June 5.

This was followed by the Ilocos Region, where the P5,000-minimum wage took effect on June 6.

In Cagayan Valley, the new minimum wage of P5,000 took effect on June 8; while in Mimaropa, the P4,500 new minimum wage took effect on June 10.

In CAR and Central Visayas, the minimum wage of P4,500 and P4,500-P5,500, respectively, both took effect on June 14.

Domestic workers’ new minimum wage of P4,000 in the Bicol Region and P3,500-P4,500 in Northern Mindanao will take effect on June 18.

In Central Luzon and Davao Region, the monthly minimum wage for domestic workers will be P4,500-P5,000 and P4,500, respectively, starting June 20.

In the Zamboanga Peninsula, the monthly minimum wage will be P3,500-P4,000 starting June 25; while in Eastern Visayas, the monthly minimum wage will be P4,500-P5,000 starting June 27.

In Caraga, the monthly minimum wage will be P4,000 starting June 30.

The wage boards in the NCR, Calabarzon, and SOCCSKSARGEN, however, are yet to issue their respective wage orders for domestic workers as they are still conducting public hearings, according to the DOLE.

The National Wages and Productivity Commission affirmed the wage orders that have taken effect or are about to take effect, and they were published in a newspaper of general circulation, the DOLE said.

The department earlier said that the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is not under the jurisdiction of the NWPC and therefore has its own discretion to issue wage orders. —VBL, GMA News