CAGAYAN de Oro City — Minimum wage earners in Cagayan de Oro and other parts of Northern Mindanao are not covered by the Metro Manila wage hike now facing court challenges, but the dispute could have implications for how future regional wage orders are challenged and implemented.
Northern Mindanao workers are covered by Wage Order No. RX-24, which granted a total daily wage increase of ₱39.
The order raised minimum wages in the region to ₱485 to ₱500, effective May 1, 2026, depending on the area and wage category.
The clarification comes as labor groups continue to challenge court actions that have delayed the implementation of Wage Order No. NCR-27, which grants an ₱85 daily increase to minimum wage workers in Metro Manila.
The National Wages and Productivity Commission lists Cagayan de Oro under Region 10's RX-24, while NCR-27 covers cities and municipalities within the National Capital Region.
On Aug. 30, the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition urged the Regional Trial Courts in Pasig and Navotas to dismiss petitions filed by employers against NCR-27, arguing that the courts lack jurisdiction over challenges to regional wage orders.
The Pasig RTC earlier issued a temporary restraining order against the ₱85 NCR wage increase before issuing a preliminary injunction. A separate petition was also filed before the Navotas RTC.
Nagkaisa chairperson and Federation of Free Workers president Atty. Sonny Matula said the courts should exercise “judicial courage” and allow the wage-setting process to proceed.
The coalition is also asking the Pasig RTC to act on the Office of the Solicitor General's motion for reconsideration seeking dismissal of the employers' petition and the lifting of the injunction.
Nicey Coronacion, deputy secretary general of SENTRO, said the courts need not wait for the Supreme Court before acting on matters within their authority.
The labor groups argue that the Labor Code provides a specific process for challenging wage orders through the wage-setting system.
The dispute remains pending before the courts, with the Supreme Court also involved in the broader legal challenge to the NCR wage hike.
For workers in CDO, however, the immediate wage situation remains governed by RX-24, not the contested NCR order.
The Region 10 wage order took effect in January 2026, with its second tranche bringing the minimum wage in covered areas to as much as ₱500 daily beginning May.
