House of Representatives to seek P200 daily minimum wage hike

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is expediting deliberations to push for a P200 wage hike, House Speaker Martin Romualdez said. 

The announcement by Romualdez came a day after a meeting with labor groups on Tuesday, January 28. 

In a statement, the House Speaker said that the proposed wage hike legislation will address the “urgent need for economic relief” while “ensuring a balanced approach that considers the welfare of workers and the sustainability of micro, small, and medium enterprises.”

“Ang lumalabas na consensus dito sa House of Representatives, pending ongoing public consultation, baka kayang dagdagan ng P200 bawat araw ang minimum wage,” Romauldez said.

(The emerging consensus, pending ongoing public consultation, is we can implement a P200 daily minimum wage hike.)

Romualdez also noted that the last major wage increase occurred over three decades ago with the Wage Rationalization Act of 1989, which successfully raised wages without causing significant inflation or widespread business closures.

“If we were able to do this in the past, there is no reason why we cannot do it now, especially with careful planning and collaboration with all sectors. Hindi lang natin tataasan ang suweldo, titiyakin din natin na makatutulong ito sa ating ekonomiya,” he said. 

(If we were able to do this in the past, there is no reason why we cannot do it now, especially with careful planning and collaboration with all sectors. Not only will we raise wages, but we will also ensure that it will help our economy.)

Wage increase in 2024

In December 2024, data from the Department of Labor and Employment said that wage increases that had been approved across the country by 14 Regional Tripartite Wage Productivity Boards had benefitted almost five million workers. 

The wage hikes range from P21 to P75.

Wage increases were granted in the following regions: 

• National Capital Region (NCR)
• Cordillera Administrative Region
• Region1
• Region 2 
• Region 3 
• Region 4-A 
• Region 4-B 
• Region 6 
• Region 7 
• Region 8 
• Region 9 
• Region 10 
• Region 12 
• Region 13 

For example, in the NCR, the Tripartite Wage Productivity Boards approved a P35 wage increase, raising the minimum wage from P610 to P645.

However, despite the wage increase, data from the economic think tank IBON Foundation shows that the P645 minimum wage in Metro Manila is still insufficient for a family to live decently.

“A family of five in NCR should receive a wage of P1,223 a day or 26,590 a month in order to live decently,” IBON Foundation said.