THE regional wage board in the Bicol Region has recently issued a new wage order raising the daily pay of minimum-wage earners within the P20 to P30 range.
In a news statement issued on Tuesday, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Region 5 came up with the decision after concluding the necessary public consultations.
“The prevailing socioeconomic conditions of the region, as well as the viability of various business were among those considered by the Board in coming up with the amount,” DOLE Region 5 Director Alvin M. Villamor said.
Once it takes effect, Wage Order RBV-19 will adjust the existing minimum-wage rates in the Bicol region: P290 to P310 (for establishments employing 10 workers and above); and P280 to P310 (for establishments employing one to nine workers).
Villamor, who chairs the RTWPB-Region 5, explained this will be distributed in two tranches.
“Fifteen pesos [P15] upon the effectivity of the order on September 21, 2018, for all establishments regardless of the number of workers, and another increase of P5 and P15 on May 1, 2019, for those employing 10 workers and above and those employing one to nine workers, respectively,” Villamor said.
He said the measure aims to allow workers in Region 5 to cope with the rising cost of living.
Minimum-wage earners in Region 5 could still get more pay than what is prescribed in the new wage order if their company will implement productivity-based pay schemes.
Villamor said they are encouraging this win-win solution for private firms so they could further boost the performance and, at same time, provide additional income to their employees.
Wage Order RBV-19 will apply to all minimum-wage earners in the private sector in the Bicol region “regardless of their position, designation or status of employment and irrespective of the method by which they are paid.” But the same order will exclude kasambahay or domestic workers, persons in the personal service of another, and workers of duly registered Barangay Micro-Business Enterprises (BMBEs) with Certificates of Authority.
Aside from Region 5, the wage boards in the following region have also issued a new wage order for 2018: Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions 1, 3, 4A, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
Only the wage boards in the National Capital Region, Regions 2, 4B, 10, and Caraga have yet to adjust their minimum-wage rates this year.