Minimum-wage workers in the Calabarzon region may soon get a brief respite from the rising costs of goods and commodities.
Starting September 30, these workers will get a double-digit raise in their daily salaries, following the release of Wage Order No. IVA-21 from the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) – Region IV-A.
The order grants a P21 to P75 increase in the daily minimum wage of workers in private establishments in Calabarzon, following a series of consultations with stakeholders last July and August on the issue.
Under Wage Order No. IVA-21, wages in the “growth corridor area” or areas near the National Capital Region (NCR), component cities, and first-class municipalities will be increased by P40 for the non-agriculture sector and P21 for the agriculture sector.
Wage hike for Calabarzon workers_1
Meanwhile, workers in the “emerging growth areas”, comprising second- and third-class municipalities will get a wage hike of P25 (for the non-agriculture sector) and P40 (for the agriculture sector).
Wage hike for Calabarzon workers_2
Workers in the “resource-based areas,” or fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-class municipalities will get a P35 increase in their daily wages (for the non-agriculture sector) and P40 (for the agriculture sector).
Wage hike for Calabarzon workers_3
This will bring the new minimum wage rates in the region to P450 to P560 for non-agriculture workers; P425 to P500 for workers in the agriculture sector; and P425 for retail and service establishments employing more than 10 workers.
The last time the RTWPB imposed a wage hike in the region was in September 2023, when the minimum wage was also raised when the base minimum wage was increased by up to P350 to P520.
This development also comes as the Philippines’ headline inflation, or overall inflation, eased to 3.3 percent in August 2024 from 4.4 percent in July.
Meanwhile, the overall regional inflation rate in Calabarzon also declined from 4 percent last July to 3.2 percent last August, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The second tranche of the wage hike will be granted on April 1, 2025, according to the RTWPB.
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