P10 wage hike suspended in Western Visayas areas hit by ‘Yolanda’

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) agreed on Monday to suspend the implementation of the recent P10-wage hike in Western Visayas but only in areas affected by supertyphoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan), said Ponciano Ligutom, Department of Labor and Employment regional director.

Areas where the P10 wage hike would be suspended should be certified by the Office of Civil Defense and local disaster risk reduction and management councils, Ligutom said.

The moratorium will be in effect for six months and subject for review before the period ends to determine if there would be a need to extend the suspension of the wage hike, according to Ligutom.

Ligutom declined from identifying the areas to be covered by the moratorium, saying the OCD would be in the best position to name them.

Yolanda has badly hit northern Negros and northern Panay.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Western Visayas earlier called for a moratorium on the P10 wage increase following extensive losses from supertyphoon Yolanda.

A P10-wage increase was implemented in the region starting Nov. 29.

In a Dec. 6 letter to Ligutom, the PCCI Western Visayas said a moratorium on wage increases should be in place “until such time that small and medium enterprises have fully recovered from this catastrophic event.”

“This call for a moratorium on all wage increases is aimed at bringing about political stability, economic recovery and improved local governance to the hard-hit provinces of Iloilo, Capiz, Antique, Aklan, Negros Occidental and Guimaras,” the letter said.

The letter was signed by Roberto Montelibano, PCCI Western Visayas governor; Frank Carbon, president of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Joe Marie Agriam, head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Iloilo Inc.

Prior to the P10 hike in wages, the daily minimum wage in Western Visayas implemented since May 31, 2012 for non-agriculture, industrial and commercial firms employing more than 10 workers was P277. For those employing 10 or fewer workers, it was P235.

For agriculture, plantation workers received P245 and non-plantation, P235 a day.

Region VI covers the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo and Negros Occidental, including their respective component cities and the highly urbanized cities of Bacolod and Iloilo.

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