MOST Filipinos believe current wages are no longer enough to meet the rising cost of living, with eight in 10 supporting a P200 daily pay hike, according to a new survey conducted by research firm WR Numero.
Findings from its August 2025 Philippine Public Opinion Monitor showed that 83 percent of adult Filipinos favor the proposed across-the-board P200 wage increase bill pending in the 20th Congress.
Only 9 percent oppose the measure, while 8 percent are undecided.
Support was strongest in South Luzon and Metro Manila at 87 percent each, followed by the Visayas at 86 percent, Mindanao at 79 percent, and North-Central Luzon at 77 percent.
Approval was also broad across income groups, with 84 percent each from Classes ABC and D, and 83 percent from Class E expressing support.
Larger households were more likely to back the increase, with 87 percent of those with six or more members agreeing to the proposed hike.
The same survey found that most Filipinos believe the P50 wage increase in Metro Manila last July is not enough to keep up with the rising cost of living.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) earlier announced the P50 increase for all minimum wage earners in the private sector in the National Capital Region-the biggest single wage adjustment granted by its regional board to date.
According to WR Numero, seven in 10 respondents (73 percent) said the P50 increase is insufficient, while 21 percent believe it was acceptable if implemented nationwide, and 6 percent found it adequate for now.
Disagreement was highest in Metro Manila (88 percent), followed by the Visayas (72 percent), South Luzon (71 percent), North-Central Luzon (70 percent), and Mindanao (70 percent).
In a text message to BusinessMirror, WR Numero said the strong public backing for the P200 wage hike reflects Filipinos’ continued focus on ‘gut issues’-or everyday economic concerns such as food prices, basic needs, and living costs.
‘Even when presented many issues, these ‘gut issues’ affecting daily life really matter to ordinary Filipinos, and it explains why support for raising wages is so strong. This is evident even across all income classes and regions,’ the research firm said.
WR Numero added that this sentiment also explains why raising workers’ wages (39 percent) ranked among Filipinos’ top policy priorities-next only to lowering food and essential prices (42 percent), and ahead of addressing illegal drugs and crime (29 percent).
The survey likewise showed that Filipinos continue to view poverty reduction (29 percent), job creation and livelihood opportunities (28 percent), and corruption (23 percent) as other major issues that require government attention.
The survey was conducted from July 29 to August 6, 2025, among 1,418 adult respondents nationwide, with a margin of error of ±2.6 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.
Several bills seeking a legislated nationwide wage hike are now pending in the 20th Congress, including proposals filed by Senators Bam Aquino and Risa Hontiveros.
In the previous Congress, both chambers pushed separate measures to raise the minimum wage but failed to pass a unified version.
The House of Representatives approved a P200 across-the-board increase in June 2025, while the Senate earlier passed a P100 hike in February 2024.
However, the two chambers failed to convene a bicameral conference committee to reconcile the measures before the 19th Congress adjourned sine die.