Joselito Malig

Article (news)

Carmelle Lacuata

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — Labor groups on Thursday denounced the reported writ of preliminary injunction issued by a Pasig court on the implementation of the P85 minimum wage increase in Metro Manila.In a statement, Partido Manggagawa said the the reported writ of preliminary injunction issued by Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 152 made the temporary restraining order (TRO) it earlier released “forever”.“Judge Manongsong’s forever TRO deprives at least a million minimum earners from benefiting from the recent wage order. The forever TRO suspends the wage hike for workers and gives capitalists a profit increase. Pinalawig ng preliminary injunction ang pagkakamali ni Manongsong na patawan ng TRO ang wage order, bagay na singlinaw ng sikat ng araw ay di maaring gawin ayon sa Labor Code at Wage Rationalization Act,” Rene Magtubo said.He also argued that it is ironic that the petitioners can afford to post a P10 billion bond but cannot afford to pay the P60 first tranche of the wage increase.“If just two employers can afford to post a P10 billion bond then why can’t all the NCR-based capitalists afford to pay the P60 first tranche? P10 billion is enough to pay the P60 wage increase for 1.1 million minimum wage earners for a total of 151 days or almost 6 working months. Capitalists have the capacity to pay the wage hike. But they are so greedy and don’t want their profits reduced,” Magtubo said.“Judges and employers, not just in NCR but in other regions, can always invent legal arguments against the wage hike and for a profit increase. Workers should wage an extra-legal battle to win a wage increase!” he added.The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), for its part, said it will seek the dissolution of the reported preliminary injunction.“After a temporary restraining order (TRO) and now a preliminary injunction, workers are once again being forced to shoulder the cost of a judicial intervention that Congress specifically sought to prevent. This leaves workers with no choice but to avail of all remedies not only in the Pasig regional trial court but, if necessary, all the way to the Supreme Court to close the floodgates to potentially endless copycat cases seeking to suspend the implementation of any wage hike,” it said.“Because if this can be done to NCR Wage Order No. 27, there is nothing to prevent similar cases from being filed against wage orders in other regions. This also leaves President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos, Jr. with no choice but to certify the ₱200 legislated wage increase as urgent and for the House of Representatives and the Senate to immediately hear and pass it because if the existing regional wage board system established by Congress can be repeatedly dragged into litigation and wage increases can be stopped even after being lawfully determined, then a legislated wage increase is now the one remaining way to guarantee that workers’ wages can rise not only in Metro Manila, but across the country,” TUCP added.Akbayan Party-list Representative Chel Diokno likewise lamented the reported court decision.“Ngayong araw dapat ang huling araw ng temporary restraining order (TRO) ng Regional Trial Court Branch 152 ng Pasig City laban sa pagpapatupad ng P85 wage hike sa NCR. Subalit, ngayong araw din ay naglabas ang korte ng preliminary injunction laban sa wage hike. Ibig sabihin, hindi maipapatupad ang wage hike habang pending ang kaso sa korte,” he said.“Nakakalungkot ang kautusang ito. Malinaw na nakasaad sa Article 126 ng Labor Code na bawal maglabas ang anumang hukuman ng TRO at maging preliminary o permanent injunction laban sa anumang wage order. Ang tamang proseso para sa pag-apela ng isang wage order ay nasa Article 123 ng Labor Code, at hindi ito inihahain sa Regional Trial Court,” Diokno added.Relevant government agencies have yet to confirm the local court&#x27;s injunction order, as of posting.  A preliminary injunction prevents any changes to the previously issued TRO while the court decides on the case.The TRO, issued by Presiding Judge Marie Joyce P. Manongsong last July 30, bars the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-NCR and the National Wages and Productivity Commission from implementing the wage order until August 13, subject to the petitioners posting a P1-million bond.The case was filed on July 23 by Readycon Trading and Construction Corporation and R-II Builders Inc., which sought to stop the wage order&#x27;s implementation.Readycon President Jesus Ignacio argued that the initial P60 increase would significantly raise the construction company&#x27;s labor costs, which had already been factored into bids for existing projects.He estimated an additional payroll expense of about P409,000, aside from higher mandatory contributions, benefits and salary adjustments for employees earning above minimum wage.<div><a class="fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/7/30/pasig-court-grants-tro-halting-ncr-wage-hike-2218">Pasig court grants TRO halting NCR wage hike</a></div>

Labor groups on Thursday denounced the reported writ of preliminary injunction issued by a Pasig court on the implementation of the P85 minimum wage increase in Metro Manila.

Labor groups on Thursday denounced the reported writ of preliminary injunction issued by a Pasig court on the implementation of the P85 minimum wage increase in Metro Manila.

Labor groups denounce alleged injunction order vs NCR wage hike

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Labor groups denounce alleged injunction order vs NCR wage hike

Rose Carmelle Lacuata,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 13, 2026 08:56 PM PHT

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Updated August 13, 2026 09:04 PM PHT

Read More:

wage hike

NCR wage hike

TRO

Pasig RTC Branch 152

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