Baguio City – Minimum wage earners in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) will be receiving an additional pay of P20-P30 after the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) -CAR unanimously approved the new wage order RB-CAR 19 on July 20, 2018 which took effect last  August 20 .

After publication of notice of public hearing in Baguio Midland Courier on June 10, 2018, Public consultations were conducted in Bangued, Province of Abra; June 27, 2018 in Tabuk City for the clustered Provinces of Kalinga and Apayao; July 3, 2018 in Lagawe for the clustered Provinces of Ifugao and Mountain Province; and a public hearing on July 4, 2018 in Baguio City, to determine the propriety of issuing a new wage order.

The new wage order RB-CAR 19 shall apply to all minimum wage earners in the private sector in CAR regardless of their position, designation or status and irrespective of the method their wages are paid. However, the following are not covered: a) Persons employed in the personal service of another; b) Domestic workers by virtue of R.A. 10361, otherwise known as the Batas Kasambahay; and c) Workers in the registered Barangay Micro Business Enterprises with Certificate of Authority pursuant to R.A. 9178, otherwise known as “Barangay Micro Business Enterprises (BMBE) Act of 2002”.

RTWPB Secretary Augusto Aquillo said the RB-CAR 19 mandating an increase of P20 – P30 pesos per day to the basic pay of minimum wage earners in CAR has integrated the existing P15 COLA to the basic pay which means from the date of effectivity, our minimum wage earners shall be receiving their salaries in the basic pay without COLA. This is more beneficial to workers because there shall be an automatic increase in their monetary benefits like 13^th month pay, overtime pay and the like.

What comes next after the issuance of the new wage order is an orientation on its provisions and implementation in order for the affected parties shall be guided accordingly. The orientation shall be conducted by the RTWPB regionwide with the following schedules August 30 in Apayao; August 31 in Abra; September 6 for Baguio City and Benguet; September 19, Kalinga; September 20 in Ifugao; and September 21 in Mountain Province. Individual invitation letters shall be distributed to employers and workers  prior the conduct of the said orientation according to the RTWPB-CAR.

A minimum daily rate of P315 pesos is applied for workers in Tabuk City, Kalinga; Bangued, Abra; Bontoc, Bauko, and Sagada, Mountain Province; Lagawe and Banaue in Ifugao; and Buguias, Itogon, Mankayan, Tuba, and Tublay, Benguet. Employers in the said areas with 10 workers and below give P305 as the minimum daily wage. For the rest of the region, a minimum daily wage of P300 pesos is applied.

Based on the RTWPB order, the minimum daily wage for Baguio City and La Trinidad, Benguet is now P320 pesos for all industries employing 11 or more workers and P310 pesos  for those with 10 workers and below. The minimum wage rates prescribed shall be for the normal working hours, which shall not exceed eight (8) hours work a day.

There should be non-diminution of benefits. Nothing in Wage Order Number RB-CAR-19 shall be construed to reduce or eliminate any existing wage rates, allowances and benefits of any form under existing laws, decrees, issuances, executive orders and/or under any contract or agreement between the workers and employers or employer practices or policies being enjoyed by the workers prior to the issuance of this Order.

In the case of private educational institutions, the share of covered workers and employees in the increase in tuition fees for School Year 2018-2019 shall be considered as compliance with the wage rates prescribed herein. Where the share of the workers and employees is less than what is provided herein, the employer shall pay the difference starting school Year 2019-2020. Private educational institutions that have not increased their tuition fees for the School Year 2018-2019 may defer compliance with the wage rates prescribed herein until the beginning of School Year 2019-2020. In any case, all private educational institutions shall implement the wage rates prescribed herein starting School Year 2018-2019.

In the case of contracts for construction projects and for security, janitorial and similar services, the prescribed increase shall be borne by the principals or clients of the construction/service contractors and the contracts shall be deemed amended accordingly. In the event, however, that the principals or clients fail to pay the prescribed increase, the construction/service contractors shall be jointly and severally liable with their principals or clients.

All workers paid by results, including those who are paid on piecework, “takay”, “pakyaw”, or task basis, shall be entitled to receive the prescribed wage rates per eight (8) hours work a day, or a proportion thereof for working less than eight (8) hours. Persons employed under recognized apprenticeship or

learnership agreement shall be entitled to not less than Seventy Five Percent (75%) of the applicable minimum wage rates prescribed in this Order. All recognized learnership and apprenticeship agreements

entered into before the effectivity of this Order shall be considered automatically modified insofar as their wage clauses are concerned to reflect the new minimum wage rates.

For mobile and branch workers, the minimum wage rates of workers, who by the nature of their work have to travel, shall be those applicable in the domicile or head office of the employer. In the case of workers working in branches or agencies of establishments in or outside the Region shall be those applicable in the place where they are stationed.

For further information regarding the new wage order RB-CAR 19, feel free to contact RTWPB-CAR at (074) 424-3416 or (074) 300-3452 or email them at rtwpbcar@yahoo.com

END/ Patrick T Rillorta