MANILA, Philippines -- Wage boards across the country will not be able to announce any increases on Labor Day, as their consultations will start only on that day, a labor official said Tuesday.

In a statement, National Wages and Productivity Commission executive director Ciriaco Lagunzad III said the regional tripartite wage board for Metro Manila would consult with labor representatives on Thursday, with employers the following day, and then hold hearings on May 13.

Lagunzad III said four other regions -- Central Luzon (Region 3), Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon or Region 4A), and Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan or Region 4B), and Central Visayas (Region 7) -- would hold public hearings on May 14. He said these regions have declared the existence of a “supervening condition,” which would require an adjustment in the minimum wages of their workers.

Lagunzad said six other wage boards scheduled their hearings in May. They are: Eastern Visayas (Region 8) on May 19, Cagayan Valley (Region 2) on May 20, Western Visayas (Region 7) on May 21, Western Mindanao (Region 9) on May 27, and Ilocos and Bicol (Regions 1 and 5) on May 30.

Lagunzad said even wage boards that have not received any applications for wage increases were holding consultations.

He said these boards, which are mandated by Republic Act 6727 to grant minimum wage increases after due consultation with all stakeholders, might motu propio or as directed by his office, initiate action or inquiry to determine whether a wage order should be issued based on the socio-economic indicators.

Immediately after the public hearing, the wage boards, composed of representatives from labor, employer and the government, will deliberate on the merit of the petitions and decide on the amount, the form and coverage, and effectivity of the wage grant, Lagunzad said.

Based on the rules on Minimum Wage Fixing, the boards have 30 days to issue a wage order after the conclusion of the last public hearing.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), together with its various affiliates, has filed petitions to increase the wages across the board in Calabarzon, Central Luzon, Caraga (Region 13), and Western Mindanao (Zamboanga), with their petitions ranging between P80 and 138.

The NWPC said Metro Manila, Northern Mindanao (Region 10), Bicol (Region 6), and Central Visayas (Region 7) received petitions for wage increases too.

Invariably, the wage hike petitions cited the need to help workers cope with the rising cost of living and the demand of workers to recoup their lost purchasing power which was eroded due to spiraling cost of oil, rice, and other basic commodities.