“Nonoy” Libanan
TACLOBAN CITY– House Minority Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan has welcomed the P35 wage increase recently approved for workers in Eastern Visayas, calling it a “small but meaningful step” toward achieving the constitutional goal of a living wage.
“The increase gives more meaning to the constitutional right of workers to a living wage,” Libanan said in a statement, emphasizing that the adjustment helps narrow the gap between current pay levels and the standard envisioned in the 1987 Constitution, which places the dignity and welfare of workers at the heart of national policy.
The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Eastern Visayas issued Wage Order No. RB VIII-25, granting a P35 increase in two tranches: P17 effective December 8, 2025, and another P18 on June 1, 2026.
With the adjustment, the daily minimum wage will rise to P452 for non-agricultural workers and P422 for agricultural workers in December, and further to P470 and P440, respectively, by mid-2026.
The order covers private-sector workers in Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, and Biliran.
As of November 22, Eastern Visayas is the 12th region to approve a wage hike this year, with five regions—including CAR, MIMAROPA, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga—yet to issue new orders.
Libanan acknowledged the increase as modest but said it reaffirms the wage boards’ duty to align pay levels with constitutional standards.
“The Constitution mandates not just a minimum wage, but a living wage—one that allows Filipino families to live with dignity,” he said. “We must continue pushing wages toward that benchmark so workers are not left behind by inflation and economic pressures.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
