By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Labor organizations have mounted another legal offensive to protect the P85 minimum wage increase in Metro Manila after a second employer-backed petition was filed seeking to halt its implementation, warning that another court injunction would further deny millions of workers long-overdue wage relief.
The Federation of Free Workers (FFW), the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition, and 11 other labor organizations filed a motion to intervene before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Navotas City in opposition to a petition lodged by the Alliance of Philippine Fishing Federations Inc. (APFFI), which is asking the court to suspend the implementation of the National Capital Region’s latest wage order.
FFW President Sonny Matula said the case goes beyond a legal dispute, stressing that the livelihood of millions of minimum wage earners hangs in the balance.
“This case is not merely about legal procedure. It is about protecting the wages and livelihoods of millions of workers whose voices deserve to be heard before any court decides their fate,” Matula said.
APFFI, an organization representing 52 commercial fishing companies and domestic corporations, filed its petition for declaratory relief on July 29, asking the Navotas court to issue a status quo ante order that would freeze implementation of the wage increase while the legality of the wage order is being resolved.
The latest challenge comes on the heels of an earlier petition filed by construction firms Readycon Trading and Construction Corp. and R-II Builders Inc. before the Pasig City RTC. On July 30, the Pasig court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) suspending the implementation of NCR Wage Order No. 27 until Aug. 13.
The wage order grants an P85 daily increase to minimum wage earners in Metro Manila in two phases. The initial P60 increase took effect on July 25 before it was halted by the TRO, while the remaining P25 adjustment is scheduled for implementation on Jan. 20 next year.
In its petition, APFFI argued that it would suffer an “imminent” financial injury if the wage order remains in force, claiming that wage regulators failed to adequately consider prevailing economic conditions, including rising fuel costs, before approving the increase.
The fishing industry group likewise questioned whether the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board complied with the standards set under Article 124 of the Labor Code in determining the wage adjustment.
Labor organizations, however, insisted that the Navotas RTC has no jurisdiction over matters involving the fixing of minimum wages, arguing that such authority rests exclusively with the country’s wage-setting bodies under existing labor laws.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has also entered the legal battle, filing an urgent motion to intervene before the Navotas court and vowing to oppose what it described as another attempt to deprive workers of a wage increase that has long been overdue.
As competing petitions continue to move through the courts, the fate of Metro Manila’s P85 wage increase remains uncertain, setting the stage for another high-stakes legal battle with significant consequences for both employers and millions of Filipino workers struggling with the rising cost of living.
ia/xf
