MISLEADING: DOLE ordered a daily wage decrease under Marcos’ presidency 

Enzo Verzosa

A quote card published by Panda Reports claimed that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) issued an unprecedented wage order cutting the daily minimum wage increase from ₱80 to ₱60, citing statements from Kamanggawa Party-list Representative Eli San Fernando. 

CLAIM 

DOLE ordered the “first wage decrease in Philippine history” by slashing the daily minimum wage raise from ₱80 to ₱60 under President Marcos Jr.’s administration.

RATING: MISLEADING

CONCLUSION

While Rep. Eli San Fernando did criticize the department amid budget deliberations and wage hike discussions, the claim that DOLE ordered an actual wage cut to workers’ baseline pay is false, as the agency never issued directives to reduce current wages.

FACTS: 

• The controversy stems from Wage Order No. NCR-27, which slated an ₱85 (the post misstates this as ₱80) raise in wages, but was stalled due to court injunctions filed by employers. To immediately provide relief, the wage board cleared Wage Order No. NCR-28 as a single-tranche ₱60 hike.
• The new Wage Order NCR-28 would raise the non-agricultural daily minimum wage from ₱695 to ₱755 once affirmed. Following this, DOLE claims that daily base pay will still increase.
• Meanwhile, lawmakers involving Rep. San Fernando criticized the move during DOLE’s budget briefing, as they claimed that issuing the new order might compromise the pending fight for the ₱85 hike increase. 

BOTTOMLINE

The post misframes the smaller wage hike as an actual cut to the current salaries, distorting the reality behind the wage orders and creating faulty political rhetoric.