P85 wage hike: Dole must implement order now – Villanueva

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Joel Villanueva on Friday urged the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) to immediately implement the P85 minimum wage increase in Metro Manila amid confusion surrounding the two successive wage orders.

Villanueva was referring to Wage Order No. 27 approved by the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC), which mandated an P85 increase in the daily pay of minimum wage earners in the National Capital Region. The increase was to be implemented in two tranches: P60 starting July 25, 2026 and the remaining P25 in January 2027.

However, the implementation of the wage order was halted by a temporary restraining order issued by a Pasig City Regional Trial Court, prompting the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board to submit another wage order, this time calling for a P60 daily minimum wage hike.

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For Villanueva, chairperson of the Senate committee on labor, employment, and human resources development, Wage Order No. 27 should be implemented as Article 126 of the Labor Code states that no temporary restraining order or injunction may be issued against a wage order.

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“The confusion caused by the new wage order granting a P60 increase has only added to the worries of our workers,” Villanueva said in a statement.

“Issuing another wage order is not the proper remedy for this,” he added.

Villanueva also noted that the order had already undergone consultations with stakeholders and the proper process, so it should be implemented “now.”

He also said that the P25 difference is significant to workers in Metro Manila, primarily amid rising costs.

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Currently, the one-time P60 minimum wage hike in Metro Manila is awaiting a decision from the National Wages and Productivity Commission.

READ: Dole: NCR wage board awaiting NWPC’s decision on new increase order

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“Our rules are clear: only one wage order may be issued per year, unless there is a supervening event. At this point, there is no such event that would warrant another wage order,” Villanueva said.

He emphasized the urgency of the Living Wage Act’s passage, which seeks to “establish clear and appropriate criteria for determining wages based on the actual and prevailing cost of living.”

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“There should be no shortcuts, and DOLE should know better as it has been known to maximize venues for solutions in the past. There is no quick fix and giving false hope to our kababayans who have long been waiting and expecting this wage increase is not the right way,” Villanueva said /mcm