The Regional Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB)-Davao Region is currently studying wage hike petitions in the region, according to a National Economic and Development Authority 11 (NEDA 11) official.
Rosendo Aya-ay, chief economic specialist from the NEDA 11, said in an interview that one of the two organizations that passed a petition for wage increase in the region is the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), which filed before the RTWPB-Davao Region a petition for a P418.00 daily minimum wage increase.
He said last April 19, 2022, public hearings were conducted for the workers in private establishments as well as for the domestic workers.
He also said that after the public hearing, the board will be convening and conducting meetings to finally decide on the wage increase considering several factors that include the poverty threshold in the Davao Region and the losses incurred by both the employees and the employers due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“They are studying both sides. I think there will be a decision on that soon,” Aya-ay said.
Meanwhile, TUCP stated in its petition that the last wage hike in Davao Region was in February 2019.
The group also noted that poverty incidence in the region was high based on the data of the first-half of 2021 released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Of the five provinces in the region, Davao Occidental’s poverty rate was 31.7 percent, Davao Oriental was 24.5 percent, Davao de Oro’s poverty rate was 21.8 percent; Davao del Norte 13.6 percent; and Davao del Sur, which geographically includes Davao City, 7.9 percent.
