The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the Philippine government has completed most of its 2025 regional minimum wage reviews, marking the beginning of a round of wage increases for workers nationwide.
Fourteen regional wage orders covering private sector workers were issued by the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board last year, the agency said in a statement.
These include the National Capital Region (NCR), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Soxxsargen, and Caraga. The increase ranged from P20 to P100 per day.
NCR held the highest minimum wage level nationwide, with daily rates ranging from P658 to P695. Other regions approved more modest adjustments reflecting themarginal forceImpact on local economic activity, cost of living and productivity.
Separate wage orders were also issued for domestic workers. The DoLE said 11 wage orders covering domestic workers were issued in CAR, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Soxcassargen and Caraga. These orders allowed for an increase in the monthly minimum wage from P300 to P2,000.
DoLE estimates that more than 4.5 million minimum wage earners in private establishments directly benefitfiAffected by salary adjustments in 2025. About 755,000 domestic workers were also brought under the ambit of the revised rates.
“The wage orders were issued in consultation with workers and employers to ensure a balance between safety and needs, appropriate returns on investment and employment creation,” the agency said.
It said approximately 8 million full-time wage and salaried workers earning above the minimum wage could also benefitfit indirectly. These adjustments can trigger wage distortion correction at the enterprise level.
dole dayfiThis wage distortion is a situation where a mandatory wage increase reduces or eliminates the established wage.FDisagreements between employee groups within the same company.
Separately, DoLE confirmed that the National Wages and Productivity Commission has ratified the wage orders for Northern Mindanao, effective January 16. This includes a P39 daily minimum wage increase for private sector workers, which will be implemented in two phases, and a P500 monthly increase for domestic workers.
Once fully implemented, the minimum daily wage in Northern Mindanao will range from P485 to P500. The monthly wage for domestic workers in the area will increase to P6,500.
Meanwhile, the wage boards in Davao Region and Bicol Region are expected to start their wage review process in January and February respectively.
DoLE said wage-setting decisions depend on assessments of regional economic conditions, productivity trends and employment levels, as well as consultation with labor and management groups.
Beyond wage fixation, DoLE said the National Wage and Productivity Commission and Wage Board have reached out to more than 28,000 micro, small and medium enterprises through productivity and profit-sharing programmes. A portion of these companies had started implementing productivity-based action plans by November 2025. – Erica Mae P. Sinaking