Cebu city: The Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board in Region-Central Visayas (RTWPB-7) is set to conduct a series of public hearings this August to discuss a potential increase in the minimum wage for private and domestic workers across Cebu, Bohol, and Negros Oriental.

According to Philippines News Agency, the hearings are scheduled to take place on August 19 at DepEd Ecotech Center in Lahug, Cebu City; August 28 at Bethel Guest House in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental; August 29 at Metro Centre Hotel and Convention Center in Tagbilaran City, Bohol; and August 31 at Anjo World Convention Center in Minglanilla, Cebu. These sessions will focus on reviewing the current minimum wage standards for both private workers and ‘kasambahay’ (domestic workers) in Central Visayas.

The RTWPB-7 has highlighted that Rule III Section 3 of the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) Guidelines No. 3, Series of 2020, authorizes the initiation of public hearings 60 days before the anniversary date of the current wage order. The existing Wage Order ROVII-25, which took effect on October 2, 2024, allows for public hearings to commence from August 3, 2025.

Currently, the minimum monthly wage for kasambahay is set at PHP 6,000 in chartered cities and first-class municipalities, and PHP 5,000 in other municipalities, as stipulated in Wage Order No. ROVII-D.W. 04. The RTWPB is tasked with periodically assessing and determining wage rates to ensure fair compensation and protect workers from low wages, taking into account socio-economic factors.

Participants in the public hearings will include representatives from labor groups, business associations, and government officials, who will present their positions on the wage hike. The insights gathered from these hearings will assist the RTWPB in finalizing a new wage order. The proposed order will need confirmation from the NWPC and will become effective 15 days after its publication in a regional newspaper of general circulation.