AROUND 100 protesters, led by major labor organizations and accompanied by Senator Robin Padilla and Representative Eli San Fernando of Kamanggagawa Partylist, gathered outside the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) on Monday, August 3, to protest a 20-day temporary restraining order (TRO) halting a scheduled ₱85 minimum wage increase in the National Capital Region.
The injunction, issued by Pasig RTC Branch 152 following a petition from R-II Builders and ReadyCon Trading and Construction, temporarily froze the implementation of Wage Order No. NCR-27.
Demonstrators from groups including Partido Manggagawa (PM) and the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) demanded the immediate dissolution of the TRO, warning that the court’s intervention sets a dangerous legal precedent for wage adjustments across other regions.
Senator Padilla expressed solidarity with the gathering, noting that the delayed raise impacts all laborers, including the Muslim working class.
“We joined here to express support for their protest. We also have our Muslim brothers joining here,” Padilla said.
PM strongly criticized the court order, arguing it suffers from major jurisdictional defects. Citing Article 126 of the Labor Code, PM stated that courts are explicitly prohibited from issuing injunctions against the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) or regional wage boards.
The group added that any legal challenge should have gone directly to the NWPC and subsequently the Court of Appeals, rather than an RTC.
PM asserted that the ₱85 wage hike is a statutory right grounded in due process, not a privilege.
Meanwhile, KMU Chairperson Jerome Adonis urged workers to remain resolute, reiterating the group’s broader demand to raise the daily minimum wage to ₱1,200 nationwide.
“There is no room for Filipino workers in the government to ensure the right to a living wage. We need to insist on this through continuous protest,” Adonis stated.
Pasig Chief of Police Col. Hendrix Magaldan confirmed the peaceful gathering of around 100 individuals.
Magaldan noted that law enforcement deployed proactive security measures while exercising maximum tolerance to protect the constitutional rights of the rallyists.
