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TACLOBAN CITY —Private sector employees and domestic workers in Eastern Visayas are set to receive salary increases after the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB–VIII) approved two new wage orders aimed at cushioning workers from rising living costs and improving income standards in the region.
The wage issuances — Wage Order No. 25 for private sector workers and Wage Order No. 06 for domestic workers — were published in this paper on Saturday, November 22, 2025. Both will take effect 15 days after publication.
Under Wage Order No. RB VIII-25, minimum wage earners in the private sector will receive a P35 increase in daily pay, implemented in two stages to allow employers to adjust.
First tranche will involve a P17/day upon effectivity of the order while the second tranche is P18/day that will take effect on June 1, 2026.
When the full increase takes effect in 2026, the new daily minimum wages will be P470 in the non-agriculture sector and retail/service establishments with more than 10 workers; and P440 in the agriculture, cottage and handicraft sectors, and retail/service establishments with 10 workers or fewer workers.
The board cited economic indicators — including 0.68% regional inflation (Dec 2024–Sept 2025), a poverty threshold of P444 for a family of five, and 6.2% regional economic growth — as basis for granting the increase.
Currently, minimum wage earners in Eastern Visayas receive P405 per day, making the adjustment the first since the previous wage order took effect in 2023.
Meanwhile, Wage Order No.06 mandates new minimum monthly salaries for domestic workers or kasambahays.
In chartered cities & 1st-class municipalities it will be now P6,400 and P5, 800 for other municipalities.
The wage order covers general househelp, babysitters (yayas), cooks, gardeners, and laundry workers. It does not apply to family drivers or service providers hired through recruitment agencies.
Domestic workers in the region currently earn P5,500 to P6,000, depending on their location.
Both wage orders were approved on November 10, 2025,and signed by Atty. Dax Villaruel, DOLE regional director & RTWPB-VIII chairperson and representatives of the workers’ and employers’ sectors
The wage hike comes amid continuing calls from labor groups for adjustments that keep pace with the cost of living, while business groups have cautioned against sudden rates that could strain micro and small enterprises. RTWPB’s staggered implementation is intended to balance both concerns.
JOEY A. GABIETA
