• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
About 214,757 workers in Western Visayas are set to receive a daily minimum wage increase of P40 to P45, following the affirmation of Wage Order No. VI-(Western Visayas)-30 by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), through the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC).
Under the new wage order, workers in the non-agriculture, industrial, and commercial sectors with more than 10 employees will receive a P40 increase, raising their daily minimum wage from P550 to P590, equivalent to about P15,389 monthly, a statement from DOLE said.
Workers in establishments employing 10 or fewer employees will also receive a P40 increase, bringing their daily minimum wage from P525 to P565.
Agricultural workers will receive a P45 increase, raising their daily minimum wage from P520 to P565.
The new wage rates will take effect 15 days after publication and will also cover Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City.
Negros Occidental and highly urbanized Bacolod City remains under Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-Western Visayas, pending the creation of the RTWPB for the Negros Island Region.
Meanwhile, under Wage Order No. VI (Western Visayas)-DW-08, around 68,000 domestic workers or kasambahays will receive an additional P500 in their monthly minimum wage, increasing it to P7,000.
In a statement, Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said the wage adjustments took into account the cost of living, inflation, purchasing power, workers’ needs, and the capacity of businesses to provide higher wages.
The RTWPB-VI conducted consultations with workers, employers, and other stakeholders as part of the wage-setting process to ensure that the concerns of affected sectors were considered.
DOLE urged employers to comply with the new minimum wage requirements and encouraged workers to remain informed about their rights and benefits under Philippine labor laws. | GPB
