WORKERS in Calabarzon will soon receive an additional P35 to P50 in their daily wages after the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) – Region IV-A issued a wage order for minimum wage earners.
In a statement, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the Calabarzon wage board issued Wage Order No. IVA-20 last September 1.
“This brings the daily minimum wages in the following areas in the region between P385.00 and P520.00 for the non-agriculture sector; between P385.00 and P479.00 for the agriculture sector; and at P385.00 for retail and service establishments employing not more than 10 workers,” the DOLE.
Wage Order No. IVA-20 was submitted for affirmation to the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) last September 4 and was approved a day later.
DOLE said the wage order will be published today, September 8, and shall take effect after 15 days from its publication, or on September 24.
“The wage order is expected to directly benefit 719,704 minimum wage earners in Region IV-A,” said DOLE.
The DOLE said the new minimum wage rates translate to a 9 percent to 11 percent increase from the prevailing daily minimum wage rates in the region.
It added that this will result in a comparable 23 percent increase in wage-related benefits covering 13th-month pay, service incentive leave (SIL), and social security benefits, such as SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG.
The department said the wage order is a result of several petitions filed by different labor groups seeking an increase in the daily minimum wage due to the escalating prices of basic goods and commodities.
The wage order is also the result of a series of public hearings and wage deliberations between August 7 and September 1.
In a related development, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) – Region V is set to hold a public hearing in Legazpi City on October 2 for the proposed salary adjustment in the Bicol Region.
In a social media post, the Bicol wage board said it is holding a public hearing at the Concourse Convention Center in Legazpi City, Albay, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on October 2.
The public hearing on wage adjustment is being conducted to ensure the involvement of all stakeholders affected by the wage adjustments.
Prior to the public hearing, the RTWPB – Region V said it would also hold several wage consultations in different parts of Bicol.
These are in Villa Isabel Hotel, Sorsogon City (September 11), Freshco Beach Resort, Masbate City (September 22), Lotus Blu Hotel, Naga City, Comarines Sur (September 26), and Wiltan Hotel, Daet, Camarines Norte (September 27).
All the wage consultations shall also be held from 1 to 5 p.m.
The last wage order issued by the Bicol wage board, which provided a P33 pay hike, took effect in June 2022.
Wage Order No. V-20 brought the daily minimum wage rate in the Bicol Region to P365.
