Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino speaks during the NWPC-RTWPBs Mid-Year Planning and Assessment, where he called for more responsive, evidence-based wage reviews amid changing economic conditions. (Photo courtesy of DOLE)
Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino called for a more responsive wage-setting system that could trigger reviews as economic conditions change instead of waiting for workers to file petitions.
“Rather than wait for a petition or for conditions to become dire enough to force an emergency wage order, this commission should now think of producing a midyear wage and price assessment every midyear,” Tolentino said during the midyear planning and assessment of the National Wages and Productivity Commission and Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards.
Under his proposal, wage authorities would examine consumer price movements during the first half of the year and determine how these affected the purchasing power of minimum wage earners across regions, particularly lower-income households.
Tolentino also urged the NWPC and regional wage boards to establish clear criteria for initiating wage reviews when extraordinary economic conditions emerge, even before the regular review cycle.
“What we owe the Filipino worker is not just a single generous gesture at the year’s end followed by silence until the next crisis forces our hand,” he said.
The labor chief also addressed the injunction involving the Metro Manila minimum wage increase, stressing that the government must comply with the court order while considering other options permitted under the Labor Code.
“We should not be held hostage by a court injunction. However erroneous it might be, we have to respect it at the moment; we have to find other means to be flexible enough to respond to the conditions as they emerge, means outside the court but within the legal parameters provided for by the Labor Code of the Philippines,” Tolentino said.
The meeting also covered the economic outlook for the rest of 2026, upcoming wage consultations and hearings, productivity initiatives and the performance of regional wage boards. Tolentino said the objective was a process that remained transparent and evidence-based while taking into account the interests of workers and employers.
