Mimaropa – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Mimaropa has announced a PHP40 per day wage increase for private sector employees, effective December 7. This adjustment is expected to elevate the standard of living for workers in the region above the poverty threshold.
According to Philippines News Agency, Naomi Lyn Abellana, regional director of DOLE in Mimaropa, mentioned in an interview that the current poverty threshold in the region is PHP367 per day. The wage increase was based on a DOLE study that informed the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board's (RTWPB) decision to approve the wage hike.
Following the latest wage order, minimum wage earners in companies with 10 or more workers will see their salaries increase to PHP395 per day, up from PHP355. Similarly, those in smaller companies employing up to nine workers will receive PHP369 per day, a raise from PHP329.
Abellana highlighted that with this adjustment, workers in both small and large businesses will earn more than the daily poverty threshold of PHP367, enabling them to afford basic necessities. An additional PHP40 will also be added to the salaries of workers already earning above the minimum wage.
The wage order also includes a salary increase for domestic helpers in Mimaropa, raising their monthly wages to PHP5,500 from PHP4,500.
Abellana noted that the cost of living in Mimaropa, a multi-island region, is lower compared to the National Capital Region (NCR), allowing workers to manage on less than PHP400 per day. This is partly due to the region's abundant production of rice, active fishing industry, and availability of affordable local produce, with only imported vegetables like those from Baguio being relatively expensive.
No labor union in Mimaropa petitioned for a wage increase this year, prompting DOLE to initiate wage hike hearings. Abellana assured that both employers and labor sectors were adequately represented in these hearings, held across the provinces of Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Romblon, Marinduque, and Palawan.
