MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Friday insisted that the additional P22 cost of living allowance (CoLA) for minimum wage workers in Metro Manila is not tantamount to nothing despite not being included in the basic wage rate.
Acting Labor and Employment Secretary Danilo Cruz said that labor standards regulations provide that COLAs are included in the computation of the mandatory related benefits of workers.
“Our role now is to explain the COLA computation and its benefits to our workers,” he said.
Cruz said the P22 COLA granted under Wage Order No. 16 is included in the computation of private sector workers’ five days service incentive leave, vacation leave, sick leave, paternity and maternity leaves, and leaves under Republic Act 9262, or the Victims of Violence against Women and their Children.
He added that the CoLA is also computed in the payment of 12 national holidays and three special holidays as well as in the determination of the premium payments for Social Security System (SSS) and Pag-Ibig, and separation and retirement pays.
The CoLA, on the other hand, is excluded in the computation of the payment for the 13th month pay, overtime pay, night shift differential pay and PhilHealth premiums pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 525 or Letter of Instruction No. 174.
Almost two million minimum wage workers in the National Capital Region (NCR) are set to receive a P426 wage rate upon the order’s effectivity on May 26.
Meanwhile, the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) has criticized President Aquino for allowing “meager” CoLA for workers while earning for himself P4.8 million.
“It fills us with anger that Noynoy has boosted his personal wealth while doing nothing to alleviate the hunger and poverty of the Filipino workers and people,” KMU Secretary-General Roger Soluta said in a statement.
“It is clearly too easy for him to gorge up P4.8 million while he is making a show of the difficulty in getting a P22 CoLA for the workers approved,” he added. –LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO, Manila Bulletin
July 2025
Nutrition Month
“Give us much more than P50 increase
for proper nutrition!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations
against serious violations of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
Accept National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideosturesVideos
July
3 July – International Day of Cooperatives
3 July – International Plastic Bag Free Day
5 July – World Youth Skills Day
7 July – Global Forgiveness Day
11 July – World Population Day
17 July – World Day for International Justice
28 July – World Nature Conservation Day
30 July – World Day against Trafficking in Persons
Monthly Observances:
Schools Safety Month
Nutrition Month
National Disaster Consciousness Month
Weekly Observances:
Week 2: Cultural Communities Week
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise
Development Week
Week 3: National Science and
Technology Week
National Disability Prevention and
Rehabilitation Week
July 1-7:
National Culture Consciousness Week
July 13-19:
Philippines Business Week
Week ending last Saturday of July:
Arbor Week
Daily Observances:
First Saturday of July:
International Cooperative Day
in the Philippines
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