BACOLOD City — A labor group in Negros Occidental has criticized the newly approved wage increase in Western Visayas, saying it falls short of restoring workers’ purchasing power and meeting their families’ basic needs amid rising living costs.
Wennie Sancho of the General Alliance of Workers Associations (GAWA) said the wage adjustment would not adequately address the financial difficulties faced by minimum wage earners.
Although the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-Western Visayas (RTWPB-6) has approved the increase, Sancho said GAWA would instead support the proposed national minimum wage legislation.
“To oppose would be moot and academic,” Sancho said, adding that the group would support the pending bill seeking a P250 national minimum wage increase.
Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, is now part of the Negros Island Region but remains under the jurisdiction of RTWPB-6 pending the establishment of a separate regional wage board.
RTWPB-6 approved Wage Order No. 30 on October 21, 2026, and submitted it to the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) on October 22 for affirmation, according to board chairperson Atty. Sixto T. Rodriguez Jr.
Under the new wage order, agricultural workers will receive a P45 daily increase, raising their minimum wage from P520 to P565.
Workers in the non-agricultural sector and establishments employing more than 10 workers will receive a P40 daily increase, bringing their minimum wage from P550 to P590.
Employees of establishments with 10 or fewer workers will also receive a P40 increase, raising their daily minimum wage from P525 to P565.
For domestic workers, the monthly minimum wage will increase by P500, from P6,500 to P7,000.
The new wage rates are expected to take effect in mid-November, subject to the required publication, NWPC affirmation, and completion of other procedures.
Despite the approved adjustment, GAWA maintained that a larger, nationwide wage increase is needed to help workers cope with rising prices and meet their households’ daily expenses./PN
