SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) in Region 3 announced Thursday the wage board’s approval of an additional P14 cost-of-living allowance (CoLA) per day for all minimum wage earners in Central Luzon.

DoLE Region 3 Spokesman Jerry Borja said the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board Region 3 (RTWPB-3) approved Wage Order No. RBIII-16, which brings the basic pay of non-agricultural workers in the region from P316 to P330 per day.

The said wage increase covers all workers in the cities of Angeles, Balanga, Cabanatuan, Gapan, Malolos, Muñoz, Olongapo, Palayan, San Fernando, San Jose, San Jose Del Monte, and Tarlac and the Provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales.

The wage order, which was issued by the wage board last June 1 and will take effect 15 days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

Meanwhile, the integration of the P4 Cola will take effect on January 1, next year.

“After a study of the socio-economic condition in the region and deliberations on the results of sectoral consultations and public hearing, the board deemed it necessary to provide workers immediate relief from the rising costs of living, taking into account the interests of both labor and management as well as the continued and sustained viability of business and industry in Region 3,” the DoLE statement said.

The province of Aurora, meanwhile, has a slightly lower minimum rate than the rest of the province.

DoLE said that public hearings in the provinces in the region were slated for attendance of both labor and management sectors last May 31.

The wage hike stemmed from the petition of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) representatives in Central Luzon for a P90 minimum wage increase.

TUCP said that the salary increase is needed because of the rise of prices of basic goods and services in the region.

DoLE Regional Director Leopoldo de Jesus said his office is considering the petition of TUCP as “urgent” because of a latest statistics that shows an abrupt inflation rate spike in the provinces covering Central Luzon since last March.