Do you agree na iparehas ang minimum wage (basta parang based of income) sa Manila at

Cavite?

Based on Republic Act (RA) 6727 or the Wage Rationalization Act, each region in the
Philippines has a unique minimum wage set by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity
Boards (RTWPBs) based on the poverty threshold, employment rate, and cost of living specific
to the region.

According to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III

In deciding [the] minimum wage adjustment, the board needs to balance the needs of workers
and their families, with the capacity of enterprises to pay the additional labor cost, without
impairing businesses, especially [their] capacity to continuously generate jobs

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in September last
year that the President wants equal pay for workers in Metro Manila and in the provinces.

He noted then that this could help decongest the country's overpopulated capital, which is
often the top choice of workers due to higher wages.

Labor groups strongly support this pronouncement, arguing that there is a significant disparity in
wages across regions while the difference in the cost of living is minimal.

How has the government acted on the promise of instituting a national minimum wage? Would it
be feasible for a country still eyeing job generation through investments?

Issues and proposals

Union leaders have criticized RTWPBs for being unresponsive to the increasing needs of their
sector. They stressed that the current minimum wage is not sufficient for both food and non-food
needs of families.
The Philippine Statistics Authority said a family of 5 needs at least P9,064 monthly or around
P390 daily to meet their needs. Independent think tank IBON Foundation, meanwhile, pegged the
living wage at P1,019 per day.