CALABARZON and Central Visayas Minimum Wage Increase: ₱645 and ₱582 From October

Two more regions are raising their minimum wage this month, just weeks after NCR moved to ₱755 on September 26 under Wage Order No. NCR-28. Central Visayas raises its minimum by ₱42 a day from October 14, and CALABARZON by ₱25 to ₱45 a day from October 26.

Kasambahay also get a new monthly minimum of ₱7,500 under separate orders for Central Visayas and CALABARZON. If you have staff in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental or Siquijor, the CALABARZON and Central Visayas minimum wage increase hits your October payroll.

The New Minimum Wage Rates

Central Visayas (Wage Order No. ROVII-27): effective October 14

Expanded Metro Cebu means the cities of Carcar, Cebu, Danao, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Naga and Talisay, plus Compostela, Consolacion, Cordova, Liloan, Minglanilla and San Fernando.

The increase is a flat ₱42 for every minimum wage earner. There’s no separate rate for agriculture or small shops. The order was published September 28, and wage orders take effect 15 days after publication, so October 14 is final.

Negros Oriental and Siquijor are now part of the Negros Island Region. Until that region has its own wage board, the Central Visayas board still sets their wages.

CALABARZON (Wage Order No. IVA-23): effective October 26

Your rate depends on two things: whether the work is agricultural, and the class of the city or town where your workplace is.

Which area are you in?

• Extended Metro Area: Bacoor, Dasmariñas and Imus in Cavite; Biñan, San Pedro and the Laguna Technopark in Laguna; Cainta, Antipolo and Taytay in Rizal.
• Component cities include Calamba, Santa Rosa, Cabuyao, Batangas City, Lipa, Tanauan, General Trias and Lucena.
• Every other town: check the full list in the wage order.

DOLE announced the order on October 10 and says it takes effect October 26. The newspaper publication date, which starts the 15-day count, hasn’t been confirmed yet. Plan for October 26.

Kasambahay

The new rate covers live-in and live-out househelp, yayas, cooks, gardeners and laundry workers. It doesn’t cover family drivers, service providers or people who work only occasionally. Neither order allows exemptions.

Why These Increases Came Now

Wage boards review rates about once a year, and both regions last raised wages in October 2025.

The CALABARZON board pointed to 4.3% average inflation in the region since then and a family poverty line of ₱537 a day. Two workers’ representatives on the board dissented.

NCR moved first with Wage Order No. NCR-28, which set Metro Manila’s rate at ₱755 from September 26. NCR-27 is still blocked in court. Other regions follow their own schedules, so expect more wage orders before the year ends.

What the Increases Mean for Your Payroll

Pay the rate where the employee works

Under RA 6727, the Wage Rationalization Act, minimum wage is set by region and follows the workplace, not your head office. A Makati company with a Calamba warehouse pays ₱645 at the warehouse and ₱755 in Makati. With sites in NCR, Cebu and CALABARZON, you’ll run three rate tables this month.

Overtime and premiums go up too

Overtime, night shift differential, holiday pay and rest day premiums are all based on the daily rate. Update the rate and they update with it. Our wages and compensation guide shows how each one is computed.

Check for wage distortion

When the minimum rises, staff paid just above it can lose their edge. Say a Santa Rosa team lead earns ₱650 and her crew earns ₱600. On October 26 the crew moves to ₱645, and the gap shrinks from ₱50 to ₱5.

Both orders point to NWPC Advisory No. 01, Series of 2023 for formulas to fix this. You can also agree on your own formula with your workers or union. Our wage distortion guide walks through the options.

Contributions change

A higher salary means a higher PhilHealth premium, which is 5% of monthly basic salary, split between you and the employee. It can also move an employee into a higher SSS bracket.

If you pay a PhilHealth salary differential late, it now has to go through EPRS online under PhilHealth Advisory 2026-0050. Our government contributions guide has the current tables.

Piece rates must catch up

If you pay workers per piece under an approved piece rate, adjust it to the new minimum. Both orders require it.

Underpaying is costly

Not paying the new rate can cost you a fine of ₱25,000 to ₱100,000, two to four years in jail, or both. You’ll also have to pay your workers double what you shorted them, and paying it doesn’t cancel the criminal case.

For companies, jail time falls on responsible officers such as the president or general manager. These penalties come from Section 12 of RA 6727, as amended by RA 8188.

What to Do Before Each Effective Date

1. Map each work location to its category: Class A or B for Central Visayas, or area, sector and headcount for CALABARZON.
2. Update your payroll rates: ₱582 or ₱542 for Central Visayas from October 14, and the new CALABARZON rates from October 26.
3. Pay the new rate for every day worked from the effective date, even if the pay period started earlier.
4. Check staff paid near the new minimum for wage distortion, and decide how you’ll correct it before the cutoff closes.
5. Recheck SSS and PhilHealth contributions for everyone whose pay changed.
6. If you employ a kasambahay in either region, raise their pay to ₱7,500 a month from the effective date.

Two Regions, Two Dates, One Payroll Run

October brings three minimum wage changes for any business with staff in NCR, Cebu and CALABARZON. Each has its own date and its own rules on who gets which rate.

Small mistakes add up: underpaid wages must be paid back double, and an unaddressed wage distortion often comes back later as an employee complaint.

We set up multi-site rate tables, run distortion checks and update contributions whenever a new wage order comes out, as part of the payroll work we do for SMEs across regions. If you’d rather hand October’s changes to a team that already tracks them, our payroll services cover everything from setup to remittance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do employees already earning more than ₱645 in CALABARZON get the ₱45 increase?
No. The orders only cover minimum wage earners, so pay above the new minimum doesn’t have to change. Do check those employees for wage distortion, since their lead over minimum wage staff may have shrunk.

Do probationary, contractual and piece-rate workers get the new rates?
Yes. Both orders cover every private-sector minimum wage earner, whatever their position, status or pay method.

My business is in Antipolo with eight employees. Which rate applies?
If you’re a retail or service business with 10 or fewer regular workers, you pay ₱550, the same as anywhere in CALABARZON. Other non-agriculture businesses in Antipolo pay ₱645, since Antipolo is in the Extended Metro Area.

Is October 26 final for CALABARZON?
DOLE says October 26. The order takes effect 15 days after it’s published in a newspaper, and that date hasn’t been confirmed yet. We’ll update this post once it is.

Can a business that can’t afford the increase apply for an exemption?
In Central Visayas, yes. DOLE says businesses that can’t afford the new rates have 75 days from October 14 to apply. Its Sagip Trabaho program can also subsidize affected workers’ pay for 90 days. We haven’t seen exemption details for CALABARZON yet. Until you’re approved, the new rate applies. The kasambahay orders allow no exemptions.