Gov’t to challenge NCR wage hike TRO – BusinessWorld Online
The government will seek legal remedies to overturn a court-ordered temporary freeze on the minimum wage hike in the National Capital Region (NCR), arguing that the salary adjustment followed due process, labor officials said on Friday.
On Thursday, the Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 152 issued a 20-day temporary restraining order against the implementation of Wage Order No. 27, which granted a P85 daily minimum wage increase for private-sector workers in Metro Manila.
The order suspends the first tranche of P60, which took effect on July 25, to be followed by an additional P25 in January 2027.
Labor Secretary Francis N. Tolentino said employees who have already received the initial wage increase will not be required to refund the amount.
“The workers already have a vested right, so that should not be returned… because at the time it was received, there was no order from the National Wages and Productivity Commission that it was suspended,” Mr. Tolentino said in a statement in Filipino.
He said the Office of the Solicitor General will lead the legal efforts and represent the national wage commission in the court proceedings.
The legal challenge was initiated by two construction firms who argued that the “abrupt” mandated increase would be entirely absorbed by their budgets, leading to sustained deficits and potential job cuts.
Sarah Buena S. Mirasol, chairperson of the NCR wage board, maintained that the wage board operated within its legal mandate in issuing the wage hike.
She added that the plaintiffs should have exhausted administrative remedies by appealing to the national commission before seeking judicial intervention.
“We are confident of the fact that we followed due process, and we follow the process as provided in the guidelines for the minimum wage fixing,” Ms. Mirasol said.
She added that any request for a restraining order should demonstrate “harm to all minimum wage earners rather than a specific sector.”
The government plans to argue for the hike’s validity in the upcoming August 3 hearing. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking