Household workers get P500 wage hike in Metro Manila, P1K in North Min

Household workers in Metro Manila will receive a P500 monthly increase starting January 4, 2025, raising their minimum wage to P7,000.

In Northern Mindanao (Region X), household workers will see a P1,000 monthly increase, bringing their minimum wage to P6,000 starting January 12, 2025.

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board also approved a P23 hike for non-agricultural workers in Northern Mindanao, with an additional P12 increase on July 1, 2025, but labor groups have criticized this as insufficient.

For agricultural workers in the region, a total of P35 will be added to their monthly wages in two installments, aiming to eliminate sectoral rate differentiation between non-agriculture and agriculture sectors by January 2025.

Despite these increases, labor federation president Jose Sonny G. Matula criticized them for being insufficient compared to workers' needs and widening the wage gap.

The proposed P23 increase is seen as inadequate by many minimum wage earners in Cagayan de Oro who struggle with rising prices of basic goods and emergencies, making it impossible for them to save money.