THE Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs) of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, and Caraga regions issued wage orders today that will provide higher pay rates for minimum wage earners in the region.
This was announced by Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III. He likewise thanked the wage boards of the three regions for heeding his call to expedite the review of their current minimum wage and for taking the extra mile in resolving with dispatch the petitions for wage adjustments in their jurisdictions.
Earlier, the new minimum wage in the National Capital Region and Western Visayas was approved and will take effect on June 4 and June 5, respectively. Their separate wage orders were affirmed by the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) chaired by Bello.
The RTWPB I issued Wage Order No. RB1-21 on May 16 that provides wage increases ranging from P60 to P90 in two to three tranches. After full implementation of the tranches, the minimum wage rate in the region will range from P372 to P400 from P282 to P340 under the previous Wage Order.
The board also issued Wage Order No. RB1-DW-03 granting P500 and P1,500 monthly wage increases for domestic workers in cities and first-class municipalities and for other municipalities, respectively, bringing the new monthly wage rate to P5,000.
Meanwhile, RTWPB II released Wage Order No. RTWPB-02-21 on May 17, granting wage increases ranging from P50 to P75 in two to three tranches. Once the tranches are completed, the minimum wage rate in the region will range from P400 to P420 from the previous P345 to P370.
Lastly, RTWPB XIII issued Wage Order No. RXIII-17 also on May 17, which integrated the P15 COLA (Cost Of Living Allowance) to the P305 basic salary under the previous Wage Order and granted a P30-wage increase, which brings the new daily minimum wage rate in the region to P350.
The new daily minimum wage rate of P350 shall take effect upon the effectivity of the Wage Order for private establishments and their workers in Butuan City and the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Surigao del Sur.
However, for private establishments and their workers in the provinces of Dinagat Islands and Surigao del Norte, including Siargao Islands, the wage increase of P20 shall take effect upon the effectivity of the Wage Order and another P10 shall take effect on September 1, 2022.
The new Wage Orders will be submitted to the NWPC for review and shall take effect fifteen days after publication in a newspaper of regional circulation.
Under the Omnibus Rules on Minimum Wage Determination, however, retail/service establishments regularly employing not more than ten workers and establishments affected by natural calamities and/or human-induced disasters, including the pandemic, may apply for exemption from compliance with the issued Wage Orders.