CALABARZON minimum wage earners get up to P45 daily raise

Activists Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) staged a protest rally in front of the House of Representative to call for the lawmaker to pass the national minimum wage bill would increase workers wages to 750 pesos nationwide.

Boy Santos, file

MANILA, Philippines — Minimum wage earners in CALABARZON will get up to P45 more a day starting October 26, the region’s wage board announced Saturday, October 10.

The raise, worth as much as P1,170 a month, will cover more than 1.56 million minimum wage earners across the region, according to the National Wages and Productivity Commission.

Not every worker will get the full P45 as the increase depends on the worker’s industry and on how the city or town where they work is classified, based on Wage Order No. IVA-23.

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board 4A did not include that breakdown in its announcement. It said the rates per sector and area are listed in the official copy of the order.

The regional board and the NWPC, both made up of labor, employer and government representatives, approved the rates after reviewing the region’s economic and social conditions, as required by Republic Act 6727 or the Wage Rationalization Act. 

Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino, who chairs the commission, led the meeting that set the new rates.

Tolentino said the Department of Labor and Employment’s CALABARZON office will closely monitor establishments to make sure they comply.

The new order follows Wage Order No. IVA-22, which raised daily pay in the region by P25 to P100 in two tranches, on Oct. 5, 2025 and April 1 this year. 

Daily minimum wages in CALABARZON currently range from P508 to P600, depending on the sector and the municipality’s classification.  

Prices at three-year high

The raise comes as inflation rose to 7.2% in September from 6.1% in August, matching April’s rate and the fastest since March 2023, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported. 

Rice inflation climbed to a high 20.3%, and inflation among the poorest 30% of households reached 9%.