Senator Joel Villanueva is pressing the government’s economic managers to shift toward a legislated “living wage” standard to determine minimum pay across the country, as a court order continues to stall a long-awaited salary increase for hundreds of thousands of workers in Metro Manila.
During the Senate budget hearing on the proposed 2027 national budget, Villanueva questioned why a regional trial court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against National Capital Region (NCR) Wage Order No. 27. The order, which would raise Metro Manila’s daily minimum wage from P755 to P840, remains suspended pending court proceedings.
Villanueva underscored that Article 126 of the Labor Code explicitly bars courts from issuing injunctions or TROs against proceedings of wage boards.
“Ang tagal ko na pong naging chair ng Senate Committee on Labor, pero ngayon ko lang nakita na verbatim na sinuway ng korte yung eksaktong nakalagay sa ating Labor Code,” Villanueva said, highlighting that the Senate has already adopted a resolution formally challenging the court’s intervention.
To address systemic wage shortfalls, Villanueva is advocating for Senate Bill No. 44, or the Living Wage Act. The measure aims to establish a framework that sets pay rates capable of allowing Filipino workers to cover basic necessities and live with dignity, as guaranteed by the 1987 Constitution.The senator also brought attention to the widening wage gap between Metro Manila and neighboring provinces, pointing out how workers in nearby areas such as Bulacan are incentivized to cross into the capital region for better earnings.
“Kesa magtrabaho dito, tatawid ka na lang ng kalye papuntang NCR,” Villanueva said, illustrating the strain placed on provincial labor markets.
Responding to the inquiry, Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan maintained that minimum wage determinations should remain under the purview of regional tripartite wage boards. Balisacan noted that Metro Manila’s wage adjustments have outpaced inflation in recent years, warning that a uniform nationwide minimum wage could negatively impact job creation and overall economic investment.
Villanueva countered that workers outside the capital continue to lag severely behind the rising cost of living. He clarified that rather than replacing regional boards, these tripartite bodies must recalibrate their benchmarks to use the living wage, rather than mere subsistence levels, when determining regional rates.
“Importante na magkaisa po tayo sa direksyon ng pag-uusap tungkol sa living wage, dahil nakasaad ito sa ating saligang batas,” Villanueva emphasized.
Connecting the wage debate to employment strategy, Villanueva asked DEPDev officials to detail how the labor demand, supply, and market governance strategies mandated under the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act, a law he authored to drive investment into high-employment sectors, are integrated into the proposed 2027 national budget.