Workers in the private sector across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are set to receive a wage increase in two installments, the Bangsamoro Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board said, after it approved and issued the new Minimum Wage Order No. BARMM-05 on Wednesday.
The increase will be implemented in two phases it said, with P25 to be given in August and an additional P25 in December. It said the wage adjustment aims to help workers cope with the rising cost of living and inflation.
The Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE) said the new wage order covers workers in both the non-agricultural and agricultural sectors throughout BARMM.
Under the new wage rate, non-agricultural workers in Cotabato City, Marawi City and Lamitan City will receive P436 per day from the previous P411, while agricultural workers will receive P411 from P386.
In the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur and Marawi City, Basilan and Lamitan City, and Tawi-Tawi, the daily minimum wage for non-agricultural workers will increase from P386 to P411, while agricultural workers will receive P401 from P376.
Workers in the Special Geographic Areas (SGA) will also benefit from wage adjustment, with non-agricultural wages increasing from P391 to P416, and agricultural wages rising from P366 to P391 up. The SGA refers to the 63 scattered barangays from six municipalities of North Cotabato that opted to belong to the BARMM.
The wage order does not cover household or domestic workers under Republic Act 10361, or the Batas Kasambahay; employees of registered Barangay Micro Business Enterprises (BMBEs) with a valid Certificate of Authority under Republic Act No. 9178; and others authorized by law the tripartite board said.
The wage order also provides that any person, corporation, trust, firm, partnership, association, or entity which refuses or fails to pay the prescribed increase shall be dealt with pursuant to the provision of Section 12 of RA 6727, as amended by RA 8188.
The order will take effect 15 days after its publication in the Bangsamoro Gazette or in a newspaper of regional circulation within BARMM.
MOLE Minister Muslimin Sema said the wage adjustment reflects the region’s improving economy and the Bangsamoro Government’s commitment to ensuring that economic gains are shared with workers.
‘This shows that our economy is improving greatly. Necessarily, our workers especially the minimum wage earners, must benefit from BARMM’s increased economic growth, by increasing their minimum wage,’ Sema stated.
He noted that since 2022, the Bangsamoro government has approved a cumulative P136 increase in the regional minimum wage. ‘The Bangsamoro Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board believes that workers and laborers must be taken care of and should never be left behind because they are the engines of our economy,’ Sema said.
The wage order was crafted following wage studies and a series of public consultations involving workers’ representatives, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), employers, and government stakeholders.