Labor groups hit P42-wage hike in Region 7

Local

LABOR groups have criticized the P42 daily wage increase approved for Central Visayas, saying the adjustment remains inadequate amid rising living costs and declining purchasing power.

Alyansa sa mga Mamumuo sa Sugbo-Kilusang Mayo Uno (AMA Sugbo-KMU) chairperson Jaime Paglinawan on Monday, Sept. 28, said the new minimum wage rates would still fall short of what workers need for their daily expenses.

The National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) affirmed the wage order issued by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-Central Visayas (RTWPB-7) on Sept. 26.

The new rates will take effect on Oct. 14, with workers in Class A areas receiving P582 per day from the current P540, while those in Class B areas will receive P542 from P500.

Class A includes the expanded Metro Cebu area stretching from Carcar City to Danao City.

Class B includes areas outside expanded Metro Cebu in Cebu province, as well as Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.

Paglinawan said the increase would not sufficiently address the gap between wages and the cost of basic necessities. He also cited the P755 daily minimum wage in the capital as an indication of the difference between wage levels.

The labor group said the purchasing power of workers has weakened, noting that P133.90 is now needed to purchase what P100 could buy in 2018.

AMA Sugbo-KMU also cited electricity and water costs in Central Visayas, placing electricity at P14.96 per kilowatt-hour and water at P259.16 per month for the first 10 cubic meters.

Paglinawan said the latest wage order failed to provide social justice to workers.

"Wala maghatag og katilingbanong hustisya ngadto sa mga mamumuo diin tin-aw man unta sa batakang balaod sa Pilipinas nga kinahanglang segurohon sa estado nga makadawat ang mga mamumuo, organisado ug dili organisado, sa makabuhing suholan," he said.

The P42 adjustment is equivalent to about P1,092 in additional monthly wages and is expected to benefit more than 300,000 minimum wage earners across Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.

Partido Manggagawa (PM) and Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (Sentro) also rejected the P42 increase in a joint statement issued Sunday, Sept. 27.

The two labor groups said the adjustment from P540 to P582 in Class A areas was inadequate to address workers’ expenses for food, transportation, electricity, housing, education and other necessities.

PM and Sentro also pointed to the wage difference between Central Visayas and the National Capital Region, where the minimum wage is P755 per day.

They said this leaves a P173 daily gap between the NCR rate and the P582 minimum wage in Class A areas of Central Visayas.

The groups said the regional wage-setting system results in different wage floors across the country despite increasingly interconnected prices and living costs.

PM and Sentro called for the abolition of the RTWPBs and the replacement of the regional wage-setting system with a national minimum wage law.

The groups also called for the immediate passage of a P200 legislated wage increase for private-sector workers nationwide, saying a national increase would provide greater relief than the P42 adjustment in Central Visayas and address the erosion of real wages caused by rising prices.

The wage order followed consultations and public hearings involving labor, management and other stakeholders. RTWPB-7 held three days of deliberations on Sept. 11, 12 and 14 before unanimously approving the increase.

The previous minimum wage rates of P500 to P540 were set under Wage Order No. ROVII-26, which took effect on Oct. 4, 2025.

AMA Sugbo-KMU also cited Central Visayas’ economic output, saying workers generated wealth worth P1.19 trillion in 2023, P1.28 trillion in 2024 and P1.32 trillion in 2025.

Paglinawan described the wage order as “inutil” and said it should be junked.

"Kinahanglan na ang Kongreso ug Senado maoy motakda og balaodnon alang sa umento sa suholan nga makabuhi aron adunay dignidad ang atong mga mamumuo ng ang naghago, nagpanday sa ekononomiya sa nasud," he said.

He called for Congress and the Senate to pass legislation providing a living wage for workers.(MyTVCebu)