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DOLE: No urgent need for P200-legislated wage hike
Manila Bulletin
|July 29 2025
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) ruled out the urgency of a legislated P200 across-the-board wage hike, as the Philippines already holds one of the highest minimum wage rates in Southeast Asia.

DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma emphasized that regional wage boards remain as the appropriate mechanism for setting minimum pay, serving as “floor” rates for entry-level or unskilled workers.
“Actually, if you look at us in the ASEAN region, our minimum wage is already high,” he said, citing Metro Manila’s newly approved daily minimum wage of P695, which exceeds those in Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia.
This story is from the July 29 2025 edition of Manila Bulletin.
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