Labor and Employment Secretary Francis Tolentino vowed to continue the fight for Metro Manila’s minimum wage workers and the ₱85 wage increase after the Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 152 issued a writ of preliminary injunction against the implementation of Wage Order No. NCR-27.

Tolentino said DOLE will not simply accept a ruling that puts on hold wage relief meant for more than a million workers and their families.

The Pasig City RTC granted the petition of Readycon Trading and Construction Corp. and R-II Builders Inc. for a writ of preliminary injunction against Wage Order No. 27 on August 13, as the TRO issued by the same court expires on the date.

“The ruling of Pasig RTC Branch 152 does not merely suspend a wage increase-it takes food off the table of more than a million Metro Manila workers and their families,” Tolentino said.

For workers living from paycheck to paycheck, the ₱85 increase is not an abstract figure. It is additional money for food, transportation, rent, school expenses, electricity, and other basic needs. Delaying it means delaying relief for families already struggling to make ends meet.

“At a time when every peso matters, this ruling denies our workers the relief they have earned and urgently need,” he said.

“We strongly express concern over this setback for social justice. We will exhaust every lawful remedy to overturn this ruling and defend the rights and welfare of our workers,” the Secretary said.

He assured that DOLE will not abandon workers while the legal battle continues, saying the Department’s responsibility is to stand up for workers and their families. Dept. of Labor and Employment