The Marcos administration says it will fight to keep a ₱85 daily minimum wage increase for Metro Manila workers in effect after a Pasig City court froze its implementation, Malacañang said August 3. The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) is preparing to contest a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued July 30 by the Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 152, which halted NCR Wage Order No. 27 until August 13 pending a legal challenge filed by two construction companies.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro told a Palace press briefing that the OSG is "ready" to defend the wage order on the government's behalf. "Ang Office of the Solicitor General ay ready naman po na ipaglaban po ang wage order na naipasa po para sa ating mga manggagawa (The Office of the Solicitor General is ready to fight for the wage order that was passed for our workers)," Castro said, according to the Manila Bulletin. She said the government was already preparing "documents and objections" in response to the TRO while stressing it "respects all courts."
What triggered the TRO
NCR Wage Order No. 27, issued by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) for the National Capital Region, grants a total ₱85 daily wage increase in two tranches — ₱60 that took effect July 25 and a remaining ₱25 set for January 20, 2027 — raising the minimum daily wage for non-agriculture workers from ₱695 to ₱780 once fully implemented. The Department of Labor and Employment has said the increase, the largest single daily minimum wage hike ever approved in the region, would directly benefit more than 1.1 million minimum wage earners in Metro Manila.
Readycon Trading and Construction Corp. and R-II Builders Inc. filed a petition for declaratory relief on July 23, arguing the wage board set the increase "without due regard" to employers' "fair return of capital invested and capacity to pay" as required under Article 124 of the Labor Code. The companies said they were already absorbing rising costs from fuel-price increases tied to the Middle East conflict and cited "measurable operating losses" and "diminished margins." Readycon said 23.59% of its workforce earns minimum wage and that its salary spending rose from ₱90.26 million in 2024 to ₱96.5 million in 2025. The Pasig court granted a 72-hour TRO, later extended to run until August 13, requiring the companies to post a ₱1-million bond.
Government's position
Castro said the proper venue for objections was the regional wage-setting mechanism, not the courts, and that Malacañang would not preempt the OSG's legal strategy or predict what happens once the TRO lapses on August 13. "Sa ngayon po ay ipinaglalaban ang stance ng ating pamahalaan patungkol sa wage order para sa ating mga kababayan sa NCR (For now, the government is fighting for its position regarding the wage order for our fellow Filipinos in the NCR)," she said. Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino earlier said he was "saddened" by the TRO but that the department "fully respects the judicial process." Asked whether the episode could push President Marcos to back a legislated, across-the-board wage hike instead of the regional board system, Castro said Marcos wants workers to receive "the proper wage" but that, absent a new law from Congress, the government would continue relying on the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards.
Context
The dispute unfolds against a backdrop of elevated inflation and a weak peso that have squeezed household budgets — Philippine inflation was running near a three-year high through mid-2026, driven partly by oil-price effects of the US-Iran conflict. Business groups have periodically challenged large wage adjustments on cost-of-living and competitiveness grounds, while labor advocates argue such increases lag behind actual living costs. The RTWPB-NCR's decision to grant the largest single increase in the region's history reflects that pressure, but it is now the increase's size and process — not merely its existence — that is being tested in court. It remains unresolved whether the writ of preliminary injunction sought by Readycon and R-II Builders will be granted after the TRO expires, and whether workers who already received the first ₱60 tranche starting July 25 could see that reversed depending on the litigation's outcome. Neither company has indicated further comment beyond its court filings.
Sources
- Manila Bulletin, "Gov't to fight for P85 NCR wage hike amid court TRO—Palace" — https://mb.com.ph/2026/08/03/govt-to-fight-for-p85-ncr-wage-hike-amid-court-tropalace
- Philippine Daily Inquirer, "Pasig court issues TRO on implementation of P85 NCR minimum wage hike" — https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2274559/pasig-court-issues-tro-on-implementation-of-p85-ncr-minimum-wage-hike
- GMA News Online, "Pasig court issues TRO on P85 Metro Manila minimum wage hike" — https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/996798/pasig-court-issues-tro-on-p85-metro-manila-minimum-wage-hike/story/
- BusinessMirror, "OSG readies challenge to RTC's TRO on wage hike" — https://businessmirror.com.ph/2026/08/03/osg-readies-challenge-to-rtcs-tro-on-wage-hike/
- The Manila Times, "OSG to defend P85 wage hike order for Metro Manila" — https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/08/04/news/national/osg-to-defend-p85-wage-hike-order-for-metro-manila/2397290
