Regional board approves wage hike for workers in CAR

THE Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) has approved a minimum wage increase of P35 for private sector workers, effective Dec. 30.

This brings the region’s minimum wage to P505 from the initial P470, according to Wage Order No. CAR-24 shared by the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) on its Facebook page.

Under the new wage order, the daily minimum wage applies to all private sector workers in the region, regardless of their position, designation, or method of wage payment. The rate is based on a standard eight-hour workday.

The wage adjustment follows a review of socio-economic conditions in the region, including the Gross Regional Domestic Product growth of 4.8% for 2023-2024, average inflation rate of 2.41% from December 2024 to October 2025, and the latest poverty threshold is in the amount of P435 per day based on Philippine Statistics Authority data.

The RTWPB also issued Wage Order No. CAR-DW-07, increasing the minimum wage rate for kasambahays, or domestic workers in the region by P600 to P6,600.

The NWPC said on its Facebook page that both wage orders will take effect on Dec. 30.

The new wage covers all domestic workers, whether live-in or live-out, including general house help, yayas, cooks, gardeners, and laundry personnel.

“Household employers and their domestic workers may voluntary and mutually agree to adopt a competency-based pay scheme in setting and adjusting the pay of domestic workers over and above the applicable minimum wage,” the order added.

As of early December, Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan or Mimaropa (Region IV-B), Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX), Northern Mindanao (Region X), and Caraga (Region XIII) remain the only areas yet to implement new wage adjustments for the 2025 cycle. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking