HOUSE Minority Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan expects six regions to order new wage hikes before yearend.
In a statement, Libanan urged the wage boards to ‘act with urgency’ in adjusting pay rates, adding that minimum wage earners were already feeling the pinch of sustained consumer price increases.
He noted that ‘faster action’ is necessary to help private sector workers cope with the persistent rise in the cost of living.
‘We are counting on the six remaining regional wage boards to promptly raise pay rates and give workers the immediate relief they deserve amid the continuing surge in the cost of living,’ Libanan said.
‘Every week of delay means further erosion of workers’ purchasing power. Our regional wage boards must move decisively,’ he added.
Citing the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC), Libanan noted that of the country’s 17 regional wage boards, 11 have already issued new wage increase orders this year as of November 3.
This leaves only six regional wage boards that have yet to implement new wage adjustments.
This includes the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), MIMAROPA, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga.
Labanan noted that the recent wage increase order came from the Western Visayas wage board, which approved a P40 adjustment on October 23, raising the region’s minimum wage to P550, effective November 19.
Under the Labor Code, regional boards may review and increase minimum wages motu proprio, even without a pending petition, but they may issue only one wage order every 12 months.
Libanan then stressed that higher wages are not only a matter of fairness but are also critical to economic recovery.
‘The country urgently needs wage adjustments to revive household consumption spending, which has been weakened by months of wage erosion caused by sustained price hikes,’ he said.
‘Boosting household spending is essential if we want to strengthen demand for goods and services, accelerate economic growth, and spur job creation in the months ahead,’ he added.