P60 wage hike for Metro Manila minimum wage earners takes effect

This undated photo shows an individual counting Philippine peso bills.

The Philippine STAR / Walter Bollozos

MANILA, Philippines — Minimum wage earners in Metro Manila will get a P60 daily wage increase starting Saturday, September 26, under a new wage order issued by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

DOLE said all employers in the National Capital Region are required to comply with Wage Order No. NCR-28, which takes effect Saturday.

The order raises the daily minimum wage for nonagricultural workers from P695 to P755.

For agricultural workers, the minimum wage increases from P658 to P718 per day.

The P60 increase also covers workers in service and retail establishments with 15 or fewer workers and manufacturing establishments regularly employing fewer than 10 workers.

Wage Order No. NCR-28 was issued by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region after consultations among labor, employers and the government.

The new wage order comes as the previous NCR wage hike remains tied up in court.

Wage Order No. NCR-27 provided for a P85 increase in the NCR minimum wage in two tranches. The first P60 increase was supposed to take effect in July, followed by a P25 increase in January 2027.

Its implementation was halted after contractors Readycon Training & Construction Corp. and R-II Builders Corp. challenged the wage order in court.

A Pasig City court later issued an injunction blocking the implementation of NCR-27.

With NCR-28 now in effect, the NCR minimum wage for nonagricultural workers stands at P755 per day, while agricultural workers will receive P718.

DOLE said it will monitor compliance with the new wage rates.