NCR Wage Hike to Push Through on July 25, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) on Tuesday said that the implementation of the P85 daily wage hike in the National Capital Region (NCR) will push through, noting that its first tranche will be effective on July 25, 2026. This came after a non-government organization Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) urged the government to suspend the implementation of the wage order “until the spirit of tripartism is upheld and a consensus among employers, labor, and government is reached.” READ: Dole: Metro Manila workers to get P85 wage hike “There is no delay and postponement. The P85 daily wage increase for minimum workers in NCR will push through,” the Dole said in a statement. The FEF also called for a wage policy anchored on balanced dialogue “to protect the welfare of workers without undermining the MSMEs that employ them, fueling inflation, or jeopardizing long-term economic stability.” It noted that an “abrupt daily wage” hike will cause severe consequences and may harm the country’s vulnerable populations. Despite these contentions, the Dole said that the first tranche of the wage increase will take effect on July 25, 2026 while the second one will be implemented on Jan. 20, 2026. This will effectively raise the daily minimum wage of non-agriculture sectors from P695 to P755 for the first tranche and P780 for the second tranche. Meanwhile, the sectors of agriculture, service and retail (employing less than 15 workers), and manufacturing establishments will see a rise from P658 to P718 for the first tranche and P743 for the second tranche. Tolentino earlier said that the wage hike was scheduled on July 19. However, he then clarified that its implementation follows the official publication date of the wage order on July 9, which will take effect 15 days after its publication. “According to DOLE Secretary Francis N. Tolentino, there was just a slight change in the day of the publication due to weather disturbances experienced at the start of the month,” Dole added. /mr