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Rhodina Villanueva - The Philippine Star
April 28, 2026 | 12:00am
Labor groups under the Unity for Wage Increase Now coalition gather at Trium Square along Gil Puyat Avenue in Pasay City yesterday, ahead of their scheduled filing of a wage increase petition at the National Capital Region’s Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board.
Edd Gumban
MANILA, Philippines — Labor day protests will be held by Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) as it calls for higher wages, lower prices of goods and sufficient state subsidies amid the energy crisis.
With the All Workers Unity and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, the labor group will lead the May 1 mobilization from España Boulevard to Mendiola in Manila.
Protests will also be held across Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, Negros, Cebu, Panay and Davao.
“We will bring our anger to Malacañang; against a government that is killing workers through low wages, killing families through hunger and poverty and killing its own people using weapons funded by taxes,” said KMU chairman Jerome Adonis.
Workers from various industries earlier held a nationwide day of action for living wages.
The KMU lauded the simultaneous filing of wage petitions by workers in Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Central Luzon.
Wage hikes
Regional wage boards are expected to roll out a fresh round of minimum wage hikes starting this June, according to House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan.
“There’s no question that a new round of regional wage hikes is now fully justified, mainly due to the inflationary impact of elevated fuel prices linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East,” Libanan said.
In June 2025, the wage board in Metro Manila raised the daily minimum wage to P695 from P645.
The 16 other regional wage boards followed suit.
Headline inflation accelerated to a 20-month high of 4.1 percent in March, driven largely by a 9.9-percent surge in transport costs due to fuel price shocks, alongside rising food prices.
Job fairs
Around 165,000 jobs will be available at job fairs organized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as part of Labor Day activities.
There are 89 job fair sites nationwide with 1,700 participating employers, DOLE Assistant Secretary Lennard Constantine Serrano said yesterday. — Delon Porcalla, Miriam Desacada
