The reported P25-increase in the minimum wage of workers in the National Capital Region is not yet official, Malacañang said Wednesday.
“As of today, October 31, the reported P25 wage hike for minimum wage workers has yet to be approved by the National Wage and Productivity Commission (NWPC),” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
“Therefore, the figure being disseminated is not official,” he added.
Panelo made the clarification after Alan Tanjusay, spokesperson of Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), claimed that the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (Ecop) announced on Tuesday night that the National Capital Region Wage Board has already approved the increase.
In a radio interview, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III refused to confirm the said hike, noting that he has not received a copy of the supposed order from the National Capital Region Wage Board.
“Sa akin kasi, hindi pa nagsa-submit ‘yung Regional Wage and Productivity Board. They were supposed to submit their recommendation on wage adjustment kahapon sa commission — ‘yung National Wage and Productivity Commisison (NWPC). ‘Yun ang mag-a-approve sa recommendation nila. Chairman ako dyan,” Bello said in an interview over dzBB.
READ: Labor group says P25-wage hike OK’d in NCR, but DOLE chief won’t confirm
Nonetheless, Panelo assured that “the interests and well-being of both sides, management and labor, as well as the overall impact to our domestic economy, would be considered by the government in attending to this matter.” /ee