ILOILO City – The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Western Visayas has endorsed to the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) a P500 increase in the monthly salary of the kasambahay or domestic service workers.
“The increase is from P4,000 to P4,500. So there is now a P500 increase sa lahat ng kasambahay (to all domestic help),” said Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) regional director and RTWPB chair, Atty. Sixto Rodriguez Jr.
A wage order for this will be reviewed by the NWPC to determine whether or not the RTWPB has complied with the requirements for the issuance of the order or if the amount is “reasonable and fair”.
Rodriguez said he was informed on May 12 that the NWPC will start deliberating on the order next week and most probably the release of the decision will be on or before June 12.
Upon approval by the NWPC, the orders will be published in local papers and will become effective 15 days thereafter.
“I’m glad to inform that this is the first region to issue an order,” Rodriguez added.
The wage board conducted a public hearing for the “kasambahay” in April.
According to Rodriguez, the last time the wage board ordered a hike in the salary of househelps was on May 8, 2019.
The new minimum wage for kasambahay is applicable to all househelps regardless of the classification of the town or city where they are working. As defined by Republic Act 10361 or the Domestic Workers Act (Batas Kasambahay), a domestic worker is “any person engaged in domestic work within an employment relationship such as, but not limited to, the following: general househelp, nursemaid or yaya, cook, gardener or laundry person but shall exclude any person who performs domestic work only occasionally or sporadically.”/PN
