Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joel Villanueva appealed to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to consider providing temporary financial support to workers affected by a court injunction delaying the implementation of the ₱85 minimum wage hike in Metro Manila.
Villanueva voiced his frustration over the ruling from the Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 152, which granted a writ of preliminary injunction against the wage order following a petition filed by construction companies Readycon Trading and Construction Corp. and R-II Builders. The court set a ₱10-billion bond alongside its 14-page decision.
Serving as the chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development, Villanueva reaffirmed his backing for the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) and the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-NCR (RTWPB-NCR) in defending the established wage-setting mechanism.
“Republic Act No. 6727 built this tripartite system more than three decades ago, and it has balanced the competing interests of labor, management, and government ever since. That system exists precisely so that wage adjustments are worked out at the negotiating table based on social and economic realities on the ground, not in a courtroom,” Villanueva said.
He added, “The law is explicit on this point: Article 126 of the Labor Code bars any court from issuing an injunction or restraining order against the proceedings of the NWPC or the Regional Boards. Any party aggrieved by a wage order has a clear administrative remedy, which is to appeal to the NWPC and that is the venue where this dispute belongs,”
The senator emphasized that labor adjustments should be resolved through social dialogue rather than judicial disputes.
“What our wage-setting process needs right now is robust negotiation within the social dialogue framework, not a fight that gets dragged into politics or into the courts. Tripartism works because labor, management, and government sit down and hash it out through the RTWPB. When that process gets short-circuited by litigation outside its proper venue, it is workers who absorb the uncertainty while the case drags on,” he stressed.
Highlighting the economic pressure on low-income earners, Villanueva warned that everyday workers should not suffer while the legal dispute plays out in court.
“While the relief brought about by the wage adjustment is on hold, prices of basic goods such as food and fuel continue to rise beyond our control, making current wage levels no longer sufficient for workers to live decently,” he noted.
“We appeal to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to look into interim assistance measures for minimum wage earners in the NCR while the implementation of the wage order remains in limbo,” he continued.
“Workers should not have to bear the cost of a legal question that is not of their making,” the lawmaker emphasized.
Villanueva concluded by reaffirming his support for the wage boards as they work with the Office of the Solicitor General to challenge the court order.
“We, likewise, reiterate our full support for the NWPC and RTWPB-NCR as they pursue the appropriate legal remedies with the Office of the Solicitor General. It is the wage-setting mechanism, not litigation, that should settle this matter,” he further stated.