ILOILO City – Minimum wage earners in Western Visayas are a step closer to receiving an additional P40 to P45 in their daily pay after the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB-6) approved a new wage order, although its implementation remains subject to final clearance from the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC).
The proposed adjustment would raise the region’s highest daily minimum wage to P590 for non-agricultural workers and P565 for agricultural workers, providing additional income to employees amid continuing concerns over the cost of living.
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 6 director Atty. Sixto Rodriguez Jr., who chairs the regional wage board, confirmed that Wage Order No. RBVI-30 was signed and submitted to the NWPC on October 21 for review and reaffirmation.
Under the approved adjustment, non-agricultural establishments employing more than 10 workers would increase their daily minimum wage from P550 to P590, while those employing fewer than 10 workers would raise their minimum pay from P525 to P565.
Agricultural workers, meanwhile, would receive a P45 daily increase, bringing their minimum wage from P520 to P565.
The wage adjustments represent increases of approximately 7.3 percent for workers in larger non-agricultural establishments, 7.6 percent for those in smaller establishments, and 8.7 percent for agricultural workers.
Rodriguez said the board arrived at the new rates after evaluating economic indicators, workers’ demands and employers’ financial capacity during eight public consultations and four public hearings conducted across Western Visayas.
The consultations included data and presentations from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev).
“Yung data based on the presentation of all agencies na nag-present, at saka basis of demand of the employees or workers, and the capacity ng employer to pay. So, we came up with a win-win solution or a reasonable amount,” Rodriguez told Panay News.
The DOLE official emphasized that the wage board sought to strike a balance between providing additional financial relief to workers and ensuring that businesses, particularly smaller establishments, could sustain the higher labor costs.
“We came up to this definite amount of P40 for non-agriculture or for those establishments employing more than P40 tapos ‘yung establishment employing less than 10 ay plus P40. Doon naman sa agriculture ay P45,” Rodriguez said.
Despite the regional board’s approval, Rodriguez clarified that the increases cannot immediately take effect because the proposed wage order must first secure the NWPC’s approval.
Once the NWPC gives its clearance, the regional wage board will publish the new wage order, which will take effect 15 days after publication.
This means private-sector workers must still wait for the completion of the national review and mandatory publication period before they can legally claim the higher minimum wages.
Rodriguez also acknowledged that some employers and business organizations might oppose the proposed increases, saying the board respects their positions.
Western Visayas currently operates under Wage Order No. RBVI-29, which took effect on November 19, 2025.
That order established daily minimum wages of P550 for non-agricultural establishments with more than 10 workers, P525 for smaller non-agricultural establishments, and P520 for agricultural workers./PN
