ILOILO City – Employers who refuse to implement the new minimum wage rates in Western Visayas cannot claim to uphold Christian values while denying workers their rightful compensation, a Catholic priest warned.
Monsignor Meliton Oso, director of the Jaro Archdiocesan Social Action Center, stressed that compliance with the wage increase taking effect on November 19 is not merely a legal obligation but a moral duty rooted in justice and fairness.
“By justice, obligasyon naton ini, ilabi na gid sang Christian employer,” Oso said in his homily.
“Indi pagtawga ang imo kaugalingon nga Kristyano kun pabungol-bungulan mo man lang ang gina-demand sang hustisya,” he added.
The priest emphasized that employers must first fulfill their obligations to workers before claiming to practice generosity or charity.
His warning comes as private-sector workers in Western Visayas are set to receive daily minimum wage increases of P40 to P45 under Wage Order No. RBVI-30, approved by the National Wages and Productivity Commission.
Under the new wage order, employees of non-agricultural establishments with more than 10 workers will receive P590 daily, up from P550.
Workers in establishments employing 10 or fewer people will receive P565, up from P525, while agricultural workers will get P565, an increase of P45 from P520.
Domestic workers, or kasambahay, will also receive a P500 monthly increase, bringing their minimum wage to P7,000.
Oso urged employers to even go beyond the mandated wage adjustments, citing the financial hardships confronting ordinary workers amid rising living costs.
“Give more than what is demanded by the tripartite wage board. Kapigado sang pangabuhi. Kaluluoy ang mamumugon,” he said.
The priest also raised concerns over employers’ failure to remit mandatory employee benefits, revealing that workers regularly seek assistance from JASAC over such violations.
The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Western Visayas (RTWPB) issued the wage order despite appeals from several business groups to defer its implementation.
Regional labor officials maintained that the adjustments are necessary to protect workers’ purchasing power amid increasing living expenses while balancing the need to sustain local businesses./PN