Region VII wage board approves P39 increase

THE wage board for the Central Visayas granted a P39 increase in the daily minimum wage, bringing minimum pay to between P500 and P540.

Wage Order No. ROVII-26, approved on Sept. 11, will raise the minimum wage for workers in Region 7’s Class A cities to P540 from P501 previously.

These cities are Carcar, Cebu City, Danao, Lapulapu, Mandaue, Naga, and Talisay, as well as the municipalities of Compostela, Consolacion, Cordova, Liloan, Minglanilla, and San Fernando.

Workers in the cities of Bais, Bayawan, Bogo, Canlaon, Dumaguete, Guihulngan, Tagbiliran, Tanjay, Toledo, as well as all non-Class A municipalities will receive P500 per day, against P463 previously.

The new wages take effect on Oct. 4.

The new daily minimum wage supersedes the current Wage Order No. ROVII-25, which took effect on Oct. 2, 2024.

Labor law authorizes annual reviews of wage rates by region, taking into account inflation, the cost of living and each region’s economic performance.

Domestic workers were also granted a wage increase effective Oct. 4, according to Wage Order No. ROVII-DW.

Such workers in chartered cities and first-class municipalities will receive a P1,000 pay increase, bringing their monthly pay to P7,000.

For other municipalities, the board granted a P2,000 increase, also bringing their minimum monthly wage to P7,000.

The latest wage order covering domestic workers’ pay replaces Wage Order No. ROVII-DW-04, implemented on May 11, 2024. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana