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MANILA — Filipino factory workers in Taiwan will enjoy a salary increase starting January next year, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) said.

MECO Chair Silvestre Bello III told ABS-CBN TeleRadyo that Taiwan's Ministry of Labor raised the monthly wages of factory workers from P44,520 to P46,992.

Bello said the wage hike came as a "pleasant surprise," as neither the Philippine government nor Filipino workers asked the Taiwanese government for it.

"Wala naman hong hinihingi, bigla na lang nagbigay ng umento... Siguro nagandahan sila sa trabaho ng ating mga OFW," he said.

Bello noted that while all factory workers in Taiwan will enjoy the increase, it will benefit Filipinos more as they make up a big part of the sector's workforce.

"About 60% are [Filipino] factory workers. Siguro maganda ang trabaho, kaya binigyan sila na parang reward para sa kanilang magandang performance," he added.

Bello also said that caregivers and household service workers in Taiwan had been given a salary increase last October.

Those working in the said sector saw their monthly wages rise from 18,000 to 20,000 Taiwan dollars (P36,000 to P38,000).

Many Filipino workers in Taiwan work in technology factories, Bello said, as the country is considered one of the top manufacturers of microchips in the world.

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