CAR wage board holds consultations on pay hike

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) is holding public consultations for a possible pay increase for minimum wage earners and domestic workers.

 Augusto Aquillo, RTWPB-CAR board secretary, said initial consultations were held in Benguet, Ifugao and Mountain Province in the past two months.

Aquillo said the consultations in Kalinga will be held on Jan. 10 and in Apayao and Abra on Jan. 12.

He urged employers, employees and domestic workers to participate in public consultation meetings. Interested parties can also write the wage board on their stand on the possible grant of wage increase, he added.

The current minimum wage in the Cordilleras is P285 per day.  

Aquillo said there is an emerging consensus to raise the minimum salary of house helpers in the region. The current salary of house helpers in cities and first class municipalities in CAR is only P2,500 and P2,000 in other areas.