Dole: P25 NCR wage hike still possible if Wage Order 27 is upheld in court

Dole: P25 NCR wage hike still possible if Wage Order 27 upheld in court

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) on Wednesday said the additional P25 daily wage increase for Metro Manila workers can still be implemented if the courts will ultimately uphold the wage order.

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Dole Acting Secretary Francis Tolentino made the statement during a Senate finance committee hearing on the 2027 budget of Dole and its attached agencies.The secretary is referring to Wage Order No. 27, which, he said, is facing five court cases.

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Tolentino said the other and recently–implemented Wage Order No. 28 does not supersede the earlier wage order.

“For the record… Wage Order 28 is a separate and independent wage relief,” he noted.

“Wage Order 27 remains defended in pending judicial proceedings. Wage Order 28 does not fully adjudicate whatever rights or legal consequences may arise under 27,” he told the senators.

He made the distinction when asked by Sens. Bong Go and Joel Villanueva about the status of Wage Order No. 27.

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Under Wage Order No. 27, approved in July, workers in the National Capital Region were supposed to receive an P85 daily wage increase in two tranches: P60 upon effectivity, and another P25 on Jan. 20, 2027.

Its implementation, however, was halted by a court injunction. 

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The new Wage Order No. 28, meanwhile, took effect on Sept. 26.

It granted a P60 daily increase, raising the amount of minimum wage for non-agricultural workers in Metro Manila from P695 to P755.

Villanueva then asked whether the P25 second tranche under Wage Order 27 will remain payable on top of the P60 increase under Wage Order 28, if the earlier wage order is eventually upheld.

Tolentino said Dole will follow whatever ruling the courts will issue.

“If the court will order that we give the P25 next year, we will comply,” he answered.

He explained that Wage Order 28 was issued while Wage Order 27 remained suspended because workers could not be made to wait for the resolution of the pending cases.

“The fate, or outcome, of Wage Order No. 27 is now left to the courts,” Tolentino repeated.

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He said that Dole and the Office of the Solicitor General will continue to defend Wage Order 27 in court. /apl