MANILA, Philippines — Minimum wage earners in Metro Manila are set to receive a P60 daily wage increase beginning September 26, giving more than a million workers in the National Capital Region (NCR) a long-awaited boost in their pay.
But while the new increase is being welcomed as immediate relief amid rising prices, the development has also triggered fresh controversy among labor groups, who are questioning why a new wage order was issued while an earlier and larger P85 wage increase remains tied up in court.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) confirmed that the P60 increase under Wage Order No. NCR-28 will take effect on September 26. The new order raises the minimum daily wage for non-agricultural workers in Metro Manila from P695 to P755.
Workers in agriculture, as well as those employed in service and retail establishments with 15 or fewer workers and manufacturing firms with fewer than 10 regular employees, will see their daily minimum wage rise from P658 to P718.
More Than 1.1 Million Workers Expected to Benefit
The wage adjustment is expected to affect around 1.1 million minimum wage earners across Metro Manila, according to previous announcements by the Department of Labor and Employment and the National Wages and Productivity Commission.
The new P60 increase comes after months of uncertainty surrounding Wage Order No. NCR-27, which had originally granted Metro Manila workers a much larger P85 daily wage increase.
Under the earlier order, workers were supposed to receive the increase in two tranches: P60 initially and another P25 beginning January 20, 2027. That would eventually have raised the minimum daily wage for non-agricultural workers to P780 and the lower-sector rate to P743.
What Happened to the Earlier P85 Wage Hike?
The implementation of Wage Order No. NCR-27 became the subject of a legal battle after a Pasig Regional Trial Court issued a restraining order and subsequent injunction that prevented the wage increase from taking effect.
The dispute prompted DOLE and the NCR wage board to pursue legal remedies while workers and labor organizations pushed for the original P85 increase to be implemented.
DOLE previously said it could not simply disregard the court order and had sought a resolution of the case through the proper legal process.
With the earlier wage order still under legal dispute, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-NCR approved Wage Order No. NCR-28, providing a new P60 daily increase.
Labor officials said the move was intended to give workers additional income while the controversy surrounding the earlier P85 wage order continues.
Why Are Labor Groups Opposing the New P60 Wage Order?
The new wage increase has not ended the controversy.
Several labor organizations, including groups associated with the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, have questioned the process behind Wage Order No. NCR-28 and raised concerns about its relationship with the earlier P85 increase.
Some labor leaders described the new order as potentially misleading, arguing that workers were already promised an P85 adjustment under Wage Order No. NCR-27.
They have also questioned whether issuing a new wage order while the earlier order remains under injunction could affect ongoing legal challenges. Labor groups have continued to call on DOLE to defend the original P85 wage increase and pursue the legal battle surrounding Wage Order No. NCR-27.
DOLE: The P60 Increase Is Immediate Relief for Workers
Labor officials have defended the new wage order, saying the goal is to provide immediate assistance to workers facing inflation and rising household expenses.
DOLE has repeatedly said that minimum wage adjustments are determined through the regional wage-setting process, which considers workers’ needs, inflation, economic conditions, productivity and employers’ capacity to pay.
The department has also stressed that wage-related issues must balance worker welfare with business sustainability and employment preservation.
The NCR wage increase is particularly significant because Metro Manila remains the country’s largest employment center and one of its most expensive places to live.
What Workers Will Receive Starting September 26
Beginning September 26, the new daily minimum wage rates in Metro Manila are expected to be:
- Non-agricultural workers: P755 per day, up from P695
- Agricultural workers: P718 per day, up from P658
- Service and retail establishments with 15 or fewer workers: P718 per day
- Manufacturing firms with fewer than 10 regular workers: P718 per day
The wage order covers the cities of Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Manila, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig, Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig and Valenzuela, as well as the municipality of Pateros.
The Bigger Question: Is the P85 Wage Hike Still Alive?
For many workers, the biggest question now is not simply whether the P60 increase will take effect.
It is what will happen to the original P85 wage increase.
DOLE officials and labor groups have indicated that the legal issues involving Wage Order No. NCR-27 remain important. The earlier order has not disappeared from the public debate, and labor organizations continue to challenge the court intervention that blocked its implementation.
That means the September 26 wage hike may bring immediate relief to Metro Manila workers, but it may not be the final chapter in the fight over NCR wages.
For now, workers can expect the P60 daily increase to take effect later this month. But with the larger P85 wage order still at the center of legal and labor disputes, the battle over how much Metro Manila workers should ultimately receive is far from over.
The P60 increase is coming—but for more than a million NCR workers, the biggest question remains: What happens next to the missing P25 and the original P85 wage promise?
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