THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday, October 31, belied claims made by both employers and employees that the National Capital Region (NCR) wage board has already granted a P25 pay increase to minimum wage earners.

In an interview, DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III said there is no truth to claims made by both the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).

“I don’t think TUCP has the authority to make the announcement. It is only the regional wage board that can make its recommendation to the commission. So I don’t know where the TUCP personalities are coming from,” said Bello.

“Even ECOP has no authority to come up with a figure like that,” he added.

The labor chief said he has yet to see any recommendation from the NCR wage board being submitted for approval to the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC).

“So far, we have yet to receive any recommendations so I don’t know where the TUCP and ECOP got its source,” he said.

“I was informed by them (NCR wage board) that they would come out with a recommendation yesterday (Tuesday). It has not reached me yet,” added Bello.

Earlier, the NCR wage board held a series of public and sectoral hearings and consultations on the proposed wage increase in the Region.

This was in response to the wage petition filed by the TUCP amid the rising inflation rate in the country. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)