DOMESTIC WORKERS in Calabarzon will receive a P750 monthly pay hike while private sector employees will get daily wage increases of P25 to P45 starting Oct. 26, under new regional wage orders approved by the government.
Under Wage Order No. IVA-DW-06, the minimum monthly wage for domestic workers (kasambahay) across all cities and towns in Calabarzon will rise to P7,500.
For commercial and industrial employees, Wage Order No. IVA-23 grants daily wage adjustments based on location, according to the National Wages and Productivity Commission.
Non-agricultural workers in urban hubs will receive the maximum P45 daily increase, lifting their pay to P645 per day.
Other major towns will see a P40 rise to P590, while smaller municipalities will receive a P25 increase, raising daily pay to P550.
In the agricultural sector, daily rates will increase by P25 to P42, establishing a P550 daily minimum across the region.
Small retail and service businesses employing 10 or fewer workers will also provide a P42 daily adjustment, elevating baseline pay to P550 per day.
In separate statements over the weekend, labor groups expressed a strong pushback, criticizing the approved amounts as inadequate against rising living costs.
The Federation of Free Workers noted that Calabarzon’s top rate of P645 lags behind Metro Manila’s P755 baseline, widening the daily regional pay gap to P110.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines condemned the P25-to-P45 increase as insufficient against eroding purchasing power, noting it covers barely half of think tank IBON Foundation’s estimated P1,223 daily family living wage.
Meanwhile, the Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisang Progresibong Manggagawa rejected the orders entirely, citing 7.6% provincial inflation and demanding a P200 legislated nationwide wage hike.
The Calabarzon wage orders mark the third minimum wage determination of the 2026 review cycle, following earlier pay adjustments for workers in Metro Manila and Central Visayas. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking