A church group expressed strong disappointment at the P50 daily wage increase order for Metro Manila workers, dubbing the decision a “token adjustment.”
The Church People–Workers Solidarity (CWS) said the National Capital Region Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (NCR RTWPB) decision to raise the daily minimum wage from Php 645 to Php 695 in the non-agricultural sector, and from Php 608 to Php 658 in the agricultural sector is “grossly inadequate.”
“This meager Php 50 increase falls far short of what workers urgently need. It does not come close to a ‘recovery wage,’ let alone the living wage that is just and humane,” CWS chairperson and San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said.
The Department of Labor and Employment said on Monday that the regional wage board has approved the adjustment, the highest under the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government.
Workers in Metro Manila have received a total of P125 in wage hikes in the past three years: P40 in 2023, P35 in 2024, and P50 in 2025.
The adjustment follows the failure of the 19th Congress to approve a legislated wage hike for workers nationwide.
The House of Representatives version was for a P200 daily wage increase while the Senate stuck to its 2024 version of P100. Both failed to unite the two versions before the 19th Congress ended.
Bishop Alminaza said the NCR RTWPB wage order is “insultingly insufficient” in the face of persistent inflation, rising fuel prices, and the worsening cost of living.
“Workers and their families deserve wages that allow them to live decently—not merely survive,” the prelate said.
Economic think-tank IBON Foundation said an average Filipino family needs P1,2017 daily living wage to live decently.
CWS said fully supports the proposed Living Wage Bill filed by ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio and Kabataan Partylist Rep. Renee Co of the Makabayan Bloc.
“If enacted, this legislation would be a concrete step toward economic justice, enabling workers to meet the daily costs of basic necessities and reclaim their dignity,” Bishop Alminaza said.
“We echo this call. A living wage is not a luxury; it is a moral obligation, rooted deeply in the teachings of our faith and in Catholic Social Teaching,” he added.
CWS said it urges the Marcos Jr. administration and all policymakers to listen to the collective cry of Filipino workers for substantial wage increases.
“Let us move beyond tokenism. Let us uphold the dignity of labor through just and meaningful reforms,” the bishop said.
“We stand in solidarity with all workers in their rightful call for a living wage—a wage that reflects their contribution to our nation, respects their humanity, and restores their hope,” he added.
Meanwhile, Filipino groups in Hong Kong formed a network in support of the P1,200 national minimum wage fight in the Philippines.
Fifty migrant organizations in the Chinese territory formed the One2WIN – Onethousand 2hundred Wage Increase Network they said is committed to campaign for for living wage and improved conditions for all Filipino workers.
In a forum held last June 29, the network said issues such as severe poverty as well as escalating costs for basics like food, fuel, electricity, and water compel them to support the living wage campaign in their home country. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
