MANILA, Philippines – Starting yesterday, the daily minimum wage for non-agricultural workers in Eastern Visayas increased to P285 from P260.

The P25 daily increase includes a P7 per day cost of living allowance, as mandated by the law.

All non-agricultural workers will get the same pay rate, including those employed in the region’s lone sugar mill – Hisumco – located in Kananga, Leyte.

Private educational institutions that have not applied for tuition hike in 2016 may defer the implementation of the wage increase until school year 2017-2018.

The pay hike, mandated under Wage Order RB VIII-19, took effect 15 days after it was published in a local newspaper on Jan. 29.

The pay rate for workers in the cottage and handicraft industry is now P253, up by P22 from P231.

The daily minimum wage in retail and service firms with 10 workers and below is increased to P245 from P238. Those with more than 10 workers should pay a minimum of P275, or an increase of P7 from P268.

The minimum wage per day for non-sugar agricultural workers is now P251 and those in sugar farms is P245. Both got an increase of P17.

The wage increases for Eastern Visayas workers ranged from P10 to P25 per day.