TABUK CITY, Kalinga (PIA) — The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWB)-Cordillera held a public hearing on minimum wage adjustment for private sector workers in the provinces of Kalinga and Apayao on Oct. 29, 2024 here.
This was the first in a series of public hearings that will be conducted in the region covering all provinces as part of the review process for the minimum wage adjustment that is fair and sustainable to both employees and employers.
“In this forum we will try to surface kung ano man ‘yung expectations ninyo, kung ano man ang issues ninyo, kung ano man yung sentimyento ninyo in order for the Board to be guided,” RTWB-Cordillera chair, Department of Labor and Employment Regional Director Nathaniel Lacambra said.
Resource speakers from the Philippine Statistics Authority-Cordillera, Department of Trade and Industry-Kalinga, and the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Program Coordinating Office-presented the data on the socio-economic indicators in the region and the prices of basic goods and agricultural products in Kalinga and Apayao.
During the consultation, 32 out of 33 respondents from the employee sector said yes to a wage increase, citing the increase in prices of basic commodities and rising education and medical costs, among others.
On the other hand, 16 out of the 19 respondents from the employers sector said no to a wage increase, citing decreasing poverty incidence, slowing inflation, tax obligations, and other factors.
National Economic and Development Authority-CAR Regional Director Susan A. Sumbeling thanked the participants for their inputs and suggestions, assuring that these will be considered by the RTWB when deliberating and deciding on the propriety of adjusting the minimum wage for the region.
At present, the minimum wage of private workers in the Cordillera region is P430 per day while the monthly wage of domestic workers is P4,900.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, in his address during last Labor Day, directed RTWPBs to review the minimum wage rates of the regions. (JDP/IOS-PIA CAR, Kalinga)
