June 30th, 2025
Quezon City – Congressman Raymond Adrian Salceda of Albay’s Third District filed House Bill No. 55 today, seeking to abolish regional wage boards and replace all locally set minimum wages with a single National Basic Wage.
The bill is titled the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act and is among Salceda’s first ten legislative measures filed on Day One of the Twentieth Congress. The proposal responds to long-standing inequalities in the Philippine wage system, where workers performing the same job are paid different minimum wages depending on their region.
Under the current setup, a cashier in Quezon City earns six hundred ten pesos per day while a cashier in Legazpi City receives only three hundred seventy five pesos. Salceda emphasized that this disparity is not based on skill, productivity, or performance but on outdated wage setting structures.
This bill replaces the existing system of regional wage orders with a National Basic Wage that will be implemented gradually over five years. It mandates a predictable annual wage adjustment for each region until all converge with the national floor. For Region V, this means closing a two hundred thirty five peso gap over five years.
“Equal pay for equal work is a basic principle of justice,” Salceda said. “This is the way to decongest Manila, reduce poverty in rural provinces, and make economic growth equitable.” House Bill No. 55 also proposes to abolish the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards created under Republic Act No. 6727. Their functions will be absorbed by a strengthened National Wages and Productivity Commission, which will handle national wage policy, enforcement, and socio-economic assessment.
The bill provides for wage subsidy mechanisms during the transition period to support wage-sensitive sectors. These include micro and small enterprises, export-oriented firms, and employers in high-poverty regions. The Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Budget and Management will jointly determine eligible sectors for assistance.
Salceda, a two-time Seal of Good Local Governance awardee and this year’s National Gawad Saka Outstanding Local Government Unit, said the bill is part of a broader effort to modernize labor policy and promote inclusive economic growth.
He also filed bills to extend the validity of professional licenses, remove NBI and police clearance requirements prior to job offers, and institutionalize food security programs. He said that simplifying employment, professional, and wage systems is key to building a more equal and opportunity-driven economy.