WHEN I decided to make the Philippines my permanent home in 2020, one of the first things I did was listen. I listened in meeting rooms that smelled faintly of kapeng barako and in long conversations with HR practitioners in Bacolod who knew their people by name, not just by payroll codes. I kept asking one simple question: Has anyone ever done a regional compensation study for Western Visayas?
The answers were consistent. None. Not in Iloilo. Not in Bacolod. Not across Region VI. Some said it was too technical. Others noted that no one had initiated it. A few smiled and called it esoteric, something usually left to national institutions in Metro Manila. It became clear: Western Visayas had been making compensation decisions for years without a local map of its own labor market.
This is especially relevant because, for wage-setting purposes, Negros Occidental is still officially covered by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) Region VI (Western Visayas). Minimum wage policies for Bacolod and the rest of Negros Occidental continue to be decided under Region VI, meaning Iloilo, Negros Occidental, and the rest of Western Visayas still share one wage policy space—yet private sector companies have no shared benchmark beyond minimum wages.
With training in the UK and experience in compensation systems, I realized I had the tools to create what the region lacked. From that moment, the Region VI Private Sector Compensation and Benefits Survey 2026 became personal.
A quiet question sits in many HR offices in Iloilo and Bacolod: Are we paying competitively, or are we slowly falling behind without noticing? Most organizations do not lack effort—they lack accurate, local information. Many still rely on national surveys, Manila-based benchmarks, or outdated internal references. These may look professional on paper but rarely reflect real labor market conditions in Iloilo and Negros Occidental.
Western Visayas has its own realities. Cost of living, talent mobility, and industry clusters in logistics, hospitality, education, manufacturing, and services behave differently from national averages. Ignoring these differences risks losing top talent or overpaying without purpose.
The survey will give HR leaders a clear picture of pay and benefits across private sector organizations in Iloilo and Negros Occidental. Instead of guessing, companies can see patterns in base pay, incentives, allowances, and benefits within the same economic environment.
Participation delivers immediate value. Early contributors gain insights to evaluate salary ranges and reward programs against regional practice. Instead of relying on instinct, HR managers enter leadership discussions with solid, peer-based data. Participation is confidential, structured, and focused on practical data HR already manages.
For HR leaders, the survey acts as a mirror: a tool to identify gaps, opportunities, and strengths without exposing company-specific data. Participating organizations also contribute to regional HR knowledge, helping Western Visayas create its own reference point instead of copying NCR models. Western Visayas is changing. Iloilo and Bacolod attract professionals from other regions. Compensation is often the first signal employees read about how an organization values them. Companies that understand that signal early tend to lead.
Credibility matters. The Region VI Pay Survey 2026 is part of my doctoral dissertation in PhD Psychology at the University of St. La Salle, which will follow rigorous methodology, ethics, and confidentiality standards.
The participation window is approaching. Early contributors gain first access to insights, including summary reports and infographics highlighting key regional trends.
The Region VI Pay Survey 2026 is more than research. It is an invitation for private sector HR leaders to help define competitive, fair, and sustainable compensation in Western Visayas. By contributing, you strengthen the region’s HR landscape with evidence-based, locally grounded insights.
A final question remains: How do your pay and benefits compare with other companies in Iloilo and Negros Occidental? Without local data, the answer is guesswork. With participation, it becomes strategic.
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Columnist Bio
Nicasio A. Pimentel III is a UK-certified human resources practitioner and educator with over 16 years of experience spanning HR strategy, analytics, systems integration and talent management across several Fortune Global 500 companies and public sector institutions in UK, Australia and the Middle East. He holds an MSc in Management and Human Resources from the prestigious London School of Economics and a BA Psychology from the University of the Philippines Diliman. He is also an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (Assoc CIPD) in the UK. For questions, e-mail nicasio.pimentel@antiquespride.edu.ph./PN
