Manila: Two senators on Monday urged the government to restore the suspended PHP85 daily minimum wage increase in Metro Manila, with one pressing a legal challenge against the court order while another questioned its validity under the Labor Code and vowed to amend the law to prevent similar incidents.

According to Philippines News Agency, Senator Risa Hontiveros called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to challenge the order issued by the Pasig City Regional Trial Court that temporarily halted the implementation of Wage Order NCR-27. The wage order granted a PHP85 daily increase for minimum wage earners in Metro Manila in two tranches - PHP60 beginning July 25 and another PHP25 effective Jan. 1, 2027 - but its implementation was suspended after two construction firms sought judicial relief.

Hontiveros urged employers to respect the country's tripartite wage-setting mechanism and avail themselves of the administrative process for exemption instead of bypassing it through the courts. She also highlighted the need for the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to lower recoverable systems loss charges and scrutinize generation charges to help reduce consumers' electricity bills.

Meanwhile, Senate labor committee vice chairperson Raffy Tulfo questioned the legality of the temporary restraining order, citing Article 126 of the Labor Code, which prohibits courts from issuing injunctions or restraining orders against proceedings, actions, or processes of Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards. Tulfo emphasized that any appeal against a wage order should be handled by the National Wages and Productivity Commission instead of the courts. He announced plans to file a bill to amend the Labor Code to remove ambiguity over the prohibition against judicial interference in wage board actions.