Minimum wage earners in the Philippine regions of Western Visayas and Soccsksargen will receive daily pay increases under new wage orders issued by their respective regional wage boards, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said in a statement on Tuesday.

In Western Visayas, daily wages will rise by P40 to P45, while workers in Soccsksargen will receive a P41 increase to be implemented in two tranches. The orders were issued by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards and affirmed by the National Wages and Productivity Commission — the tripartite bodies through which minimum wages in the Philippines are set region by region, bringing together government, labor, and employer representatives.

In Western Visayas, Wage Order No. VI-30 covers about 214,757 workers. Employees in the non-agriculture, industrial, and commercial sectors at establishments with more than 10 workers will receive a P40 increase, raising the daily minimum wage to P590, or P15,389 monthly. Workers in the same sectors at establishments with 10 or fewer employees will also get P40, lifting the rate to P565.

Agriculture workers in the region will receive P45, bringing their daily minimum to P565. The new rates take effect 15 days after publication, meaning exact effectivity dates will be fixed by the orders' publication, and cover Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City.

Under Wage Order No. VI-DW-08, about 68,000 domestic workers will receive an additional P500 in monthly pay, raising their minimum monthly wage to P7,000.

In Soccsksargen, Wage Order No. XII-26 covers about 86,815 minimum wage earners, the DoLE said, bringing the combined coverage of the two regions' daily-wage orders to more than 300,000 workers. The P41 increase will be implemented in two tranches, with P16 taking effect 15 days after publication and the remaining P25 in January 2027.

Once fully implemented, the daily minimum wage in the region's non-agriculture and retail and service sectors will rise to P501, or P13,068 monthly. The agriculture sector's minimum will increase to P484 daily, or P12,624 monthly. Domestic workers in Soccsksargen will receive an additional P450 monthly, bringing their minimum wage to P6,450. The differing resulting rates across the two regions illustrate the localized character of the country's wage-setting system, under which each board weighs conditions in its own area.

Labor Secretary Francis N. Tolentino said the wage-setting process took into account the cost of living, inflation, the purchasing power of the peso, workers' needs, and the capacity of companies to grant increases. He earlier stressed the need for a wage-setting system that reflects the realities faced by businesses, particularly micro, small, and medium enterprises.

The two regions follow the National Capital Region, Central Visayas, and Calabarzon in issuing new wage orders under the 2026 wage review cycle, as other regional wage boards prepare to conduct their own wage determinations. As the cycle proceeds, developments to watch include the publication that starts the 15-day effectivity periods in both regions, the January 2027 second tranche in Soccsksargen, and the wage determinations of the other regional boards now preparing their reviews.

— Erika Mae P. Sinaking