By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) is intensifying its campaign for a P200 legislated wage increase, arguing that Congress must now act after a Pasig court indefinitely stopped the implementation of the latest pay adjustment for minimum wage earners in Metro Manila.
The labor federation urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to certify House Bill No. 88 as urgent and called on lawmakers to fast-track its passage.
TUCP said the proposed P200 increase offers a way forward amid the legal dispute surrounding the regional wage-setting mechanism, which has placed the recently approved NCR wage adjustment on hold.
The Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 152 issued a writ of preliminary injunction on Thursday, extending the suspension of NCR Wage Order No. 27 while the court examines a petition filed by construction companies Readycon Trading and Construction Corp. and R-II Builders.
The firms challenged the wage order, describing the approved adjustment as “unprecedented.”
The NCR wage order provided for an P85 total increase, but workers were initially scheduled to receive only P60 starting July 25, with the remaining P25 due on January 20, 2027.
The court action has raised questions over the authority to restrain wage proceedings because Article 126 of Republic Act No. 6727, or the Wage Rationalization Act, expressly contains restrictions on courts issuing injunctions or restraining orders against proceedings before the National Wages and Productivity Commission and its regional boards.
Despite the provision, the Pasig court issued the restraining order, prompting labor advocates and lawmakers to seek intervention from higher courts.
TUCP said the situation demonstrates the vulnerability of workers under the existing regional wage-setting system and strengthens the case for a legislated wage increase.
The federation said it is prepared to pursue available legal remedies, including bringing the dispute before the Supreme Court.
Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña and other labor groups earlier asked the Supreme Court to step into the controversy. Cendaña also called for an inquiry into the issuance of the temporary restraining order by Pasig RTC Branch 152 Presiding Judge Marie Joyce Manongsong.
Malacañang has directed the Office of the Solicitor General to prepare to defend the wage order, while the Department of Labor and Employment said it would exhaust every lawful remedy available to protect the increase.
Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino stressed the immediate impact of the court ruling on workers, saying the suspension affects not only the wage order but the daily livelihood of more than a million Metro Manila workers and their families.
For TUCP, the continuing legal uncertainty is precisely why Congress should move beyond the disputed regional wage mechanism and approve a P200 legislated wage increase that workers can rely on.
ia/xf
