PHP 800 a day? Hospital workers say it’s time

By Mariela Angella Oladive

A hospital workers’ union has revived its bid to raise the daily minimum wage in Western Visayas to PHP 800, filing a new petition before the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) after a similar proposal was dismissed earlier on procedural grounds.

The Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital Employees Union is seeking a PHP 250 increase over the current PHP 550 daily minimum wage, according to Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Western Visayas Regional Director Sixto Rodriguez Jr., who also chairs the RTWPB.

Rodriguez said the board received the petition last week and is evaluating it.

If granted, the proposed hike would raise the regional wage floor by roughly 45%.

The latest filing follows the dismissal of an earlier petition submitted by the United Labor Alliance Western Visayas, which sought the same amount.

The RTWPB denied the previous petition after finding that the organization lacked legal personality.

“It was not properly registered with DOLE, therefore it had no legal personality,” Rodriguez said.

He clarified that despite the dismissal, the proponents were not barred from refiling.

The new petition invokes a supervening condition to justify a wage review less than a year after the implementation of Wage Order No. RBVI-28, which took effect on Nov. 17, 2025.

Under Republic Act No. 6727, or the Wage Rationalization Act, and the National Wages and Productivity Commission’s rules of procedure on minimum wage fixing, wage increase petitions are generally not entertained within 12 months from the effectivity of a wage order.

The rules allow an exception in cases of supervening conditions, such as an extraordinary increase in the prices of petroleum products and basic goods and services.

Rodriguez said the RTWPB has conducted an initial review of the petition and will hold another deliberation to determine whether the grounds cited by the union warrant an exception to the rule.

Wage Order No. RBVI-28 granted a daily wage increase ranging from PHP 33 to PHP 40 for private sector workers in Western Visayas, depending on the sector and the size of the establishment.

The adjustment raised minimum pay rates for workers in nonagricultural, industrial, and commercial establishments, as well as those in the agricultural sector.

RA 6727, enacted in 1989, decentralized minimum wage setting in the country by creating regional boards composed of representatives from labor, employers, and the government, allowing pay rates to reflect living costs and economic conditions in each region.

The board has yet to announce the schedule of its next deliberation on the petition.