WAGE increases in the country should continue to be determined at the regional level instead of legislated by Congress, the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) said.

The region-specific approach set under 1989's Republic Act 6727 is more suited to address varying economic conditions across the country, ECOP Chairman Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. told reporters on Tuesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing National Conference of Employers, the ECOP chief claimed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had made it clear that he favored wage adjustments via the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs).

Marcos in May ordered wage boards to review minimum wages within 60 days from the anniversary of their latest wage orders.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said last week that the Metro Manila RTWPB could issue a decision by July.

Instead of the P150 across-the-board minimum wage hike being pushed in Congress, Ortiz-Luis said a reasonable increase for Metro Manila workers would be P15 per day.

He said that while the Philippines may have had the lowest minimum wages in the region some 15 years ago, "we have overtaken everybody because every year, we are raising [wages] through the tripartite votes."

"[The increases] may be small but consistent. We have overtaken all of our neighbors. Except last year, when Indonesia was slightly ahead of us," he added.

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