MANILA -- House Speaker Martin Romuladez on Wednesday said the lower chamber sees that it is possible to raise the minimum wage by P200. 

In a statement, Romualdez said the House of Representatives is speeding up discussions on a proposed wage hike.

The lawmaker met with labor leaders on Tuesday to listen to their thoughts on a legislated wage hike.

Romualdez noted that the last legislated wage increase was enacted more than three decades ago under the Wage Rationalization Act of 1989, which raised salaries without driving up inflation or causing business closures.

“Ang lumalabas na consensus dito sa House of Representatives, pending ongoing public consultation, baka kayang dagdagan ng P200 bawat araw ang minimum wage,” Romualdez said.

“If we were able to do this in the past, there is no reason why we cannot do it now, especially with careful planning and collaboration with all sectors. Hindi lang natin tataasan ang suweldo, titiyakin din natin na makatutulong ito sa ating ekonomiya,” he added.

The Regional Wages Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in the National Capital Region (NCR) last year approved a P35 increase in the daily minimum wage of private sector workers in the region, which solons slammed as "insulting."

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said 14 regions in the Philippines were able to raise their minimum wage in 2024.

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