MANILA, Philippines — Workers in the National Capital Region (NCR) who have received the first tranche of P60 from the approved P85 daily minimum wage increase will not be required to return the additional pay despite the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by a Pasig court, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Friday.
Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said the first tranche, which took effect on July 25, had been granted in favor of the workers before the court issued the TRO on Thursday.
He stressed that employers could not require their employees to refund the additional amount or recover through payroll deductions.
The clarification came a day after the Pasig Regional Trial Court temporarily suspended the implementation of NCR Wage Order NCR-27, which provides for an P85 daily minimum wage increase to be released in two tranches, P60 effective July 25, 2026, and the remaining P25 on Jan. 20, 2027.
Despite the court order, Tolentino said that the department would defend the validity of the wage order before the courts.
He said that the department, through the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) and the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board–NCR (RTWPB-NCR), was coordinating with the Office of the Solicitor General for the legal proceedings.
Meanwhile, DOLE-NCR Regional Director and RTWPB-NCR Chairman Sarah Buena S. Mirasol said that the wage board was confident it complied with the procedures required under Republic Act 6727, or the Wage Rationalization Act, before approving the increase.
The TRO temporarily halts the implementation of the wage order while the case is pending.
However, DOLE maintained that workers who have received the first tranche wuld keep the increase, while the fate of the second tranche of P25 to take effect on Jan. 20, 2027, would depend on the outcome of the court proceedings.
