SENATORS across political parties have declared support for the resolution filed by Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri demanding the immediate lifting of the temporary restraining order (TRO) against the P85 daily wage hike for workers in the National Capital Region.
Zubiri said Senate Resolution 577 is an expression of the chamber’s support for Filipino workers, upholding the wage hike determined by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and other concerned agencies.
”I moved around and gathered signatures for cross-aisle support from all members of the majority and minority so the Senate can state clearly that the wage board’s decision should be final. It should be implemented and respected by the courts,” Zubiri said.
”This has already been signed by all the senators. We asked Sen. Robinhood Padilla to secure the signatures of the minority, while I took charge of the majority. Advancing the welfare of workers should rise above party lines and political affiliations,” he added.
The resolution, signed by all 21 senators, cited Article 126 of the Labor Code, as amended by Republic Act 6727, which prohibits courts, tribunals or other entities from issuing injunctions or TROs against proceedings before the National Wages and Productivity Commission or the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB).
”Let the Labor Code prevail and allow the P85 increase to reach the workers who have already waited long enough. A petition by a few individuals should not delay benefits for more than 1.1 million workers and their families,” Zubiri said.
”Otherwise, it would set a bad precedent because if a P30 increase is approved in Cagayan de Oro or Northern Mindanao, anyone could just go to a friendly court and seek a restraining order. That is not acceptable,” he added.
The P85 adjustment was approved by the RTWPB-National Capital Region following consultations among representatives of labor, employers and government, and an assessment of prevailing socioeconomic conditions.
Under Wage Order NCR-27, an initial P60 increase took effect on July 25, while the remaining P25 is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2027, raising the daily minimum wage to P780 in the non-agriculture sector and P743 in other covered sectors.
Branch 152 of the Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) issued the TRO on July 30 following a petition filed by Readycon Trading and Construction Corp. and R-II Builders Inc., suspending the wage order until Aug. 13 pending further proceedings.
”The Senate will stand with our workers until this wage increase reaches their hands. This is neither a favor nor charity, but a recognition of the value of their labor and every family’s right to live with dignity,” Zubiri said.
The DOLE thanked senators for supporting the call to lift the TRO on the P85 wage increase.
”DOLE commends the leadership of Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano for championing the urgent need to uphold statutory wage increases in NCR and all other regions in the future,” Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) and other affiliates of Nagkaisa Labor Coalition (Nagkaisa) issued a statement after Branch 287 of the Navotas RTC set a clarificatory hearing on Aug. 6 for a petition for declaratory relief filed by the Alliance of Philippine Fishing Federations Inc. against the RTWPB-NCR and the National Wages and Productivity Commission.
In an order dated Aug. 3, Presiding Judge Romana Lindayag Del Rosario scheduled the hearing after the petitioner submitted its compliance with the court’s directives. The proceedings will be conducted via videoconference in accordance with Supreme Court guidelines.
The FFW and other Nagkaisa affiliates said they will participate in the proceedings, arguing that the case extends far beyond the interests of a single employer or industry.
”This is no longer just about the P85 wage increase,” the coalition said. “It is about whether every future wage increase can be frozen by the next lawsuit. If employers can simply bypass the wage boards and run to different Regional Trial Courts, the country’s wage-fixing system becomes meaningless.”
Calling the latest petition “another attack on workers’ lawful wage gains,” Nagkaisa maintained that the RTC has no jurisdiction over the dispute and urged the court to dismiss the case, citing Article 126 of the Labor Code and jurisprudence, including Buenaflor v. Ramirez.
The coalition said the Navotas court’s decision to hold a clarificatory hearing at least gives workers an opportunity to be heard — a chance they said was lacking in the earlier Pasig proceedings. It added that wage orders affect more than 3 million workers in Metro Manila, making transparency and labor participation essential.
Nagkaisa said that the P85 wage increase was not arbitrarily imposed but was approved by the RTWPB after months of consultations among labor, employers and government representatives, as well as a review of prevailing economic conditions.
