Hontiveros presses SolGen, DOLE to act after Pasig court halts NCR P85 wage hike

Description

Metro Manila’s approved ₱85 daily wage increase remains on hold after the Pasig Regional Trial Court stopped its implementation, prompting Sen. Risa Hontiveros to press the government to fight the order and restore the wage adjustment. Pasig RTC Branch 152 issued the temporary restraining order after Readycon Trading and Construction Corporation and R-II Builders Inc. warned that the increase could sharply raise labor costs and force workforce or operational cuts. The first ₱60 tranche would have raised the non-agricultural minimum wage from ₱695 to ₱755, followed by another ₱25 in January 2027. Hontiveros urged the Office of the Solicitor General and the Department of Labor and Employment to work together, defend NCR Wage Order No. 27 and seek the early dismissal of the case. She also backed a proposed sense of the Senate resolution supporting workers and described the increase as a first step toward a living wage nationwide. Her position adds to mounting opposition from lawmakers and labor groups. NAGKAISA and Partido Manggagawa argue that the TRO runs against the Labor Code’s restriction on courts stopping proceedings before wage boards and the National Wages and Productivity Commission. Hontiveros is now pushing to ensure that a court challenge does not erase a wage increase already approved for Metro Manila workers.