Minimum-wage earners in the Calabarzon region have been given an early Christmas gift by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB).
In its Wage Order No. IV-22 that was published on September 19, the Calabarzon RTWPB announced that minimum wages in the region will go up by P30 to P100 for non-agriculture workers, P25 to P100 for workers in the agriculture sector, and P83 for retail and service workers.
The first tranche of the wage hike will be implemented on October 5, while the second tranche will be implemented on April 1, 2026.
Under the first tranche, workers for the agricultural sector will see their wages go up from P500 a day to P525 a day in the extended metropolitan area, component cities, and first-class municipalities.
Meanwhile, agriculture workers in the reclassified first-class to fifth-class municipalities will see their daily wages go up from P425 to P485.
Wages of workers in the non-agriculture sector will go up to P600 in the extended metropolitan area and component cities; P550 in first-class municipalities; and P510 in the reclassified first-class to fifth-class municipalities.
Workers for the retail and service employing not more than 10 workers will receive a wage hike of P60, or from P425 to P485 a day.
The new wage order was released following a series of consultations between various stakeholders on the possible impacts of a wage hike in the Calabarzon region from August 5 to 20.
At least 12 workers' groups have petitioned the RTWPB for a minimum wage adjustment ranging from P640 to P1,075 due to the impact of high prices of basic goods and commodities.
While inflation rates in Calabarzon remained at 2.4 percent last August, prices of food commodities went up from 1.5 percent in July to 3 percent in August, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
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