Tuloy na tuloy na ang ₱85 minimum wage increase sa Metro Manila.
For non-agricultural workers, the full ₱85 increase will bring the daily minimum wage from ₱695 to ₱780.
Pero hindi ito isang bagsakan. The first ₱60 takes effect on July 25, 2026, bringing the wage to ₱755. The remaining ₱25 follows on January 20, 2027, bringing it to the full ₱780.
Good news para sa workers. Pero bakit may mga tutol?
Simple: may benefits ang wage hike, pero may possible side effects din.
THE GOOD SIDE
More money for workers.
Yung dagdag na ₱85 kada araw, naiipon din over a month. Puwedeng pang-add sa food, pamasahe, bills, medicine, at ibang daily needs.
And workers are also consumers. If may extra money sila, a big part of it is spent din sa grocery, palengke, carinderia, transportation, at ibang businesses. So umiikot din ang pera sa economy.
Important din ang buying power. Kung tumataas ang presyo ng bilihin pero hindi sumasabay ang sweldo, same income nga, mas kaunti naman ang nabibili.
Kaya need ding makasabay ng sweldo sa pagtaas ng cost of living.
SO BAKIT MAY TUTOL?
From one worker’s point of view, ₱85 a day may not seem that big because the increase is seen individually. Pero iba ang scale from the employer’s side.
For example, a small business with 10 minimum wage workers could face around ₱22,100 more in basic wage costs for a month once the full increase takes effect, assuming 26 workdays.
Doon pumapasok yung, “Hala, saan ako kukuha ng dagdag na pampasweldo? Sa DOLE??” 😁
For a big company, baka manageable. Pero para sa small business na sakto lang ang kita, puwedeng heavy.
Some businesses may absorb the cost and earn less. Others may raise prices, hire fewer people, reduce working hours, or delay expansion.
WHAT ABOUT INFLATION?
Ito rin ang concern ng BSP.
Higher labor costs can add pressure on prices, especially if businesses pass some of the added cost to customers.
Pero it doesn’t mean na dahil may ₱85 wage hike, biglang tataas na lahat ng presyo. Maraming factors ang nakakaapekto sa inflation, at hindi pare-pareho ang magiging response ng bawat business.
Makikita pa ang actual effect after implementation.
SO GOOD OR BAD?
Hindi ganun kasimple.
Workers need enough income to keep up with the cost of living. Businesses, especially small ones, also need enough room to survive and keep providing jobs.
And higher pay isn’t always bad for employers. It can help them keep good workers longer, reduce employee turnover, and even improve productivity.
Kaya hindi lang “Magkano ang dapat idagdag sa sweldo?” ang tanong.
Dapat kasama rin: paano mapapababa ang ibang business costs, mapapataas ang productivity, at matutulungan ang small businesses na mag-adjust?
A wage hike can help, but it cannot solve the cost-of-living problem by itself.
FINDING THE BALANCE
The economy is parang banda.
Workers need enough income para makasabay sa kanta. Businesses need enough breathing room para tuloy ang tugtog.
Hindi dapat workers vs. businesses.
They need each other.
Because when one side can no longer keep playing, the whole song suffers.
⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ
