Caraga Region has 3rd highest wage hike nationwide
By NiΓ±a Jonalyn Gambe-Diamante
BUTUAN CITY – The Caraga region boasts the third-highest minimum wage increase nationwide, a highlight announced by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) during a Labor Day press conference on April 25.
Earl
D. Dela Victoria, board secretary of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Board
(RTWPB), presented the details of the wage hike.
Pursuant
to Wage Order No. 19, which mandates the minimum wage increase in Caraga, a
30-peso increase took effect on Jan. 2. This was followed by a 20-peso
increment on May 1, coinciding with the National Labor Day celebration.
“Caraga
region has the 3rd highest minimum wage increase among all the regions with a
total of 50 pesos increment this year. For that, we should be happy,” Dela
Victoria said.
Based
on the latest wage orders (2024-2025 issuances) issued by the RTWPB as of March
2025, Calabarzon recorded the highest wage increase, ranging from 21 to 75
pesos, followed by Central Luzon with a 50- to 66-peso adjustment. Both regions
are implementing their wage adjustments in tranches, with their second tranche
yet to take effect by August 2025.
Dela
Victoria also noted Caraga’s significant improvement in its national minimum
wage ranking, highlighting the RTWPB Caraga’s efforts in contributing to the
economic stability of the region’s workforce.
“In
the past, our minimum wage rate usually fell near the bottom of the list, with
Caraga and BARMM taking turns in claiming the lowest rank in the comparative
list of minimum wages nationwide. But now, we have already progressed to being
ranked 11th or 12th out of 17 regions in the country. This goes to show how
committed the RTWPB Caraga is in ensuring that our labor force in the region is
justly compensated, especially with their struggles with the current cost of
living,” Dela Victoria added.
He
emphasized that an employee’s qualifications are not a factor in determining
their entitlement to the minimum wage. “The moment that the employee reports
for work, he or she is already entitled to the minimum wage,” he explained.
In
addition to the private sector wage increase, Dela Victoria announced that
domestic workers or “kasambahays” in Caraga will also receive a 1,000-peso
minimum wage increase under WO No. RXIII-DW-05. Their 5,000-peso minimum
monthly salary has been adjusted to 6,000 pesos, effective Jan. 2 of the
current year for mandatory compliance by all employers in the region.
Dela
Victoria also reminded the audience of key provisions of the Kasambahay Law,
such as the prohibition of unauthorized salary deductions and the requirement
of at least monthly salary payments. He warned that employers failing to adhere
to the Kasambahay Law will face sanctions and penalties as legally prescribed.
During
the open forum, where compliance with wage orders and other labor issues were raised,
Atty. Jason P. Balais, regional director of DOLE Caraga, acknowledged that
while DOLE conducts continuous random inspections, the inspector-to-employer
ratio is insufficient to monitor the entire region annually.
“Our
target for this year is to inspect 1,078 establishments in Caraga. Our labor
inspectors even committed to adding 30 percent to their target. However, our
limitation is with the number of inspectors assigned per province. In Surigao
del Sur, for example, there are only three to four inspectors there. So, you
can only imagine their struggle in managing their time, especially since we are
inspecting all labor-related issues, not just the minimum wage compliance,”
Balais explained.
Balais
urged media partners and the public to cooperate in reporting violators of
Philippine labor laws.
“Atong
gi-awhag ang publiko nga kung naa moy nasayran nga wala nagtuman sa atong mga
pamalaod sa pagpanarbaho, ireport sa DOLE kay atong i-prioritize sa inspection.
(We call on the public to report to DOLE if you have any knowledge of any
violation of our labor laws so we can prioritize them in our inspections.),”
Balais encouraged.
He further clarified that complaints can be filed anonymously, provided the necessary information about the violation is included. (NJGD, PIA Caraga)
