Framing the increase as a ‘step towards equity,’ Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) approved a ₱50 daily minimum wage hike for private sector workers amid calls from labor and rights groups for wages exceeding subsistence levels.
Following the ₱20 wage hike in 2024, the Bangsamoro Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (BTWPB) signed Wage Order No. BARMМ-04 on June 26, 2025, mandating a ₱50 daily increase for minimum wage earners in both agricultural and non-agricultural sectors across the region.
The adjustment raised wages to ₱411 and ₱386 in Cotabato City, ₱386 and ₱376 in the provinces and cities of Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Marawi, and Lamitan, and ₱391 and ₱366 in the Special Geographic Areas.
A study by the Ibon Foundation revealed that despite the recent hike, the BARMM minimum wage remains insufficient to meet the cost of living, with a 1,697 Pesos wage gap compared to the family living wage in the region.
“Filipino workers and their families are barely surviving on the minimum wage because this is even less than the rather low-standard official poverty threshold for a family of five. In other words, the Philippine minimum wages are family poverty wages,” IBON Foundation stated.
The latest wage order is the fourth in the history of the BARMM government, as it attempts to offset the region’s record of having the lowest cumulative wage increases since 1989, the last time a national minimum wage was legislated.
However, the order excluded household or domestic helpers under Republic Act No. 10361, workers of Barangay Micro Business Enterprises (BMBEs) with Certificates of Authority under Republic Act No. 9178, and other categories exempted by law.
Despite these exclusions, Bangsamoro Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua, who also oversees the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE), described the increase as a step toward ‘social justice, economic dignity, and regional equity.’
“The signing of the Order is not just a policy decision; it is a strong statement of our shared commitment to social justice, economic dignity, and regional equity,” he said.
In light of BARMM’s wage hike, the Ateneo Public Interest and Legal Advocacy (APILA) also urged the public to view the minimum wage issue as a human rights struggle rather than merely an economic matter.
“When workers receive only a fraction of what they deserve, this is not simply an economic shortfall but a denial of the right to just and favorable conditions of work, as enshrined in international human rights law (UDHR, ICESCR).”
They stressed that wage policies in BARMM must recognize the region’s history of marginalization and armed struggle for autonomy.
“Any wage policy here must go beyond technical adjustments—it must be grounded in equity, restorative justice, and recognition of the historical injustices faced by Moro and indigenous workers,” APILA added.
The discussion over BARMM’s wage increase comes amid stalled efforts to legislate a national wage hike, as the House of Representatives approved a ₱200 across-the-board increase in June, while the Senate adjourned its session without reconciling its own version that only proposed ₱100.
Senators have since filed separate bills for ₱200 and ₱250 increases, but disagreements have left the legislation in limbo.
APILA underscored the call for immediate reforms to set wages that reflect the real cost of living, complemented by long-term measures that tie wage growth to social protection systems like health, housing, and education.
“Wage increases should never be reduced to an ‘economic burden.’ Fair wages are not charity, but a right—and an economy built on exploitative wages is unsustainable, unjust, and contrary to the constitutional mandate of social justice,” APILA concluded.
Editor’s Note: This article was first issued in the December 2025 First Semester Newsletter of Atenews.