City of San Fernando, Pampanga – The second tranche of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board – III’s (RTWPB – III) Wage Order No. RBIII-26 will take effect on 16 April 2026, adding a P30.00 to P40.00 increase to the current rates of workers in private establishments across Central Luzon.

To recall, under Wage Order No. RBIII-26, a total increase of P50.00 to P80.00 will be given to daily minimum wage earners in the private sector in the region by implementing two tranches. The first tranche, amounting to P20.00 to P40.00, took effect on 30 October 2025. On 16 April 2026, the second tranche will provide an additional P30.00 to P40.00 increase.

The following will be the new wage rates in Region 3 starting 16 April 2026:

For the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales, from P570.00 for the non-agriculture sector to P600.00, from P540.00 to P570.00 for the agriculture sector, and from P560.00 to P590.00 for retail and service establishments.

In Aurora, the P30.00 increase of the second tranche will raise the daily minimum wage of P530.00 to P560.00 for the non-agriculture sector, from P515.00 to P545.00 for the agriculture sector, and the sole P40.00 increase for retail and service sector that will lead to P515.00 from the current P475.00.

RTWPB – III’s Board Secretary VI Kenneth D. Liza stressed the Board’s acknowledgement of the struggles of both labor and management and reaffirmed their support for both sectors.

“The Board recognizes the day-to-day realities now being faced by our workers, as well as the operational pressures on enterprises. This calibrated increase is in a way reassuring that support is extended on both sides, to protect jobs and sustain business operations,” Board Secretary VI Liza said.

This second tranche of wage adjustment, as a byproduct of the wage order approved last year, exemplifies the Board’s ongoing commitment to balancing the interests of both workers and management. The wage orders were formulated based on inputs gathered during last year’s public hearings and a review of the region’s socio-economic conditions, cost of living, enterprises’ capacity to pay, and level of productivity.