MANILA, Philippines –  Metro Manila minimum wage earners will be receiving an additional P25 to their current P512 daily pay.

In a text message, Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) confirmed to Rappler that the wage hike was approved by the regional wage board on Tuesday, October 30.

“Yes, [the P25 wage hike was announced] right after the wage board final deliberations today,” ALU-TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.

This is way lower than the proposed P334-increase by ALU-TUCP, one of the petitioners. They earlier called the P20-hike a “measly” amount, amid the high prices of goods. 

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said that the minimum increase would be within the range of P20. He said that the interests of other stakeholders must be considered as well, or else “it’s the workers that will suffer.” (READ: Diokno: ‘Let’s not push for higher wages’ amid high inflation)

The result of the final wage board deliberations would be effective immediately, Bello earlier said. A copy of the wage order has yet to be released to the media.

According to labor group Sentro, at least a P28.17 hike is needed to “recover from the lost value” brought by inflation. They insisted that a “real increase” be provided as prices of goods are still seen to increase later within the year.

Inflation or the increase in the prices of goods climbed to 6.7% in September, higher than August’s 6.4%. It is the highest in more than 9 years, or since February 2009 when inflation was at 7.2%.

Based on Republic Act No. 6727 or the Wage Rationalization Act, each region in the Philippines has a unique minimum wage set by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards based on the poverty threshold, employment rate, and cost of living specific to the region. 

Several other regions had new wage orders this year, with Davao receiving as much as P56.43 increase and Western Visayas receiving a P41.50 hike.

The wage order for Metro Manila expired on October 5. – Rappler.com