Malacañang on Monday said the national government, through the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), will challenge the temporary restraining order (TRO) against the implementation of the P85 daily wage increase for private sector workers in Metro Manila.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the government respects the court’s issuance but remains committed to defending Wage Order No. 27 issued by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region (RTWPB-NCR).
Castro said employers who opposed the wage increase should have first raised their objections and appeals before the wage board instead of going directly to courts.
“Ang Office of the Solicitor General ay ready naman po na ipaglaban po ang wage order na naipasa po para sa ating mga manggagawa (The Office of the Solicitor General is ready to defend the wage order issued for our workers),” she said.
Castro, however, declined to say whether the wage increase would automatically be implemented once the 20-day TRO expires on August 13, noting that the case remains pending before the court.
The Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 152 issued the TRO after Readycon Trading Construction Corp. and R-11 Builders Inc. filed separate petitions questioning the wage order.
Under Wage Order No. 27, the P85 daily wage increase will be implemented in two tranches. The first P60 increase was supposed to take effect last July 25, while the remaining P25 adjustment is set for January 20, 2027.
Asked whether the TRO and opposition from some employers would affect President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s support for higher wages, Castro said the President remains committed to ensuring workers receive fair compensation.
“Ang pagbibigay naman po ng tamang wage o sweldo sa ating mga manggagawa, ito naman po ay nais ng Pangulo (The providing of proper wages or salaries to workers has been the desire of the President),” she said.