New minimum wage takes effect in Misamis, Bukidnon

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PNA) – The new monthly minimum wage amounting to 318 takes effect starting this month, the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (RTWPB) announced Monday.

It said that the implementation of the new minimum wage was in accordance with the implementing rules and regulations of the Wage Order No. RX-18 published in local newspapers last August.

The new monthly minimum wage covers the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan and the adjacent municipal towns of Tagolo-an and Villanueva in Misamis Oriental.

The wage Category II with a monthly minimum of 313.00 covers the cities of El Salvador and Gingoog, all component cities of Misamis Oriental, Ozamis City in Misamis Occidental, and the cities of Valencia and Malaybalay in Bukidnon.

The municipal towns of Maramag, Manolo Fortich, and Quezon in Bukidnon also fall in Category II with a monthly minimum wage of 313.00.

The rates in Wage Category III are 308 for non-agricultural workers and 296 for agricultural workers in the cities of Oroquieta and Tangub in Misamis Occidental and the municipalities of Lugait and Opol in Misamis Oriental; and Mambajao in Camiguin.

Workers in the rest of the region would now receive 303 for non-agricultural sector and 291 for the agricultural sector.

The RTWPB in Northern Mindanao issued an advisory stating that distressed and new businesses may apply for exemptions on or before November at any of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) offices in the region.