MANILA, Philippines — A new wage order granting a ₱60 daily minimum wage increase to private-sector workers in Metro Manila has been approved by the regional wage board as the implementation of an earlier ₱85 wage hike remains stalled by a court injunction.

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region (RTWPB-NCR) approved Wage Order No. 28 on September 7 and has forwarded it to the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) for review and confirmation, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

DOLE-NCR Regional Director Roy Buenafe said that if the NWPC affirms the order, it could be published by September 11 and take effect by September 26 or 27.

The new order provides a one-time ₱60 increase.

Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino clarified that the amount should not be interpreted as a deduction from the ₱85 increase provided under the earlier Wage Order No. 27, which has been caught in a legal dispute.

Wage Order No. 27 provided for an ₱85 daily minimum wage increase in Metro Manila, consisting of a ₱60 first tranche and another ₱25 increase scheduled later. Its implementation, however, was halted following court action challenging the order.

Tolentino said the regional wage board moved to issue Wage Order No. 28 to provide additional income to workers while the legal dispute over the previous order remains unresolved.

The new wage order was disclosed during the House Committee on Appropriations' hearing on DOLE's proposed ₱47.057-billion budget for 2027 on Sept. 8.

Marikina 2nd District Rep. Miro Quimbo welcomed the wage board's move, saying workers continue to face financial pressure while the previous wage order remains under injunction.

If affirmed by the NWPC and allowed to take effect, Wage Order No. 28 would provide the ₱60 wage adjustment independently of the unresolved legal proceedings involving Wage Order No. 27.

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