Labor Day 2025 wage hike protest saw thousands of workers from various sectors march across the country demanding a ₱1,200 daily living wage and a ₱200 legislated pay increase.
Led by the labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), protests were staged in major cities including Manila, Baguio, Pampanga, Laguna, Iloilo, Cebu, and Davao, highlighting long-standing demands for livable wages.
According to IBON Foundation, a daily wage of ₱1,200 is necessary to meet the basic needs of a family of five in the Philippines.
Danilo Ramos, chairman of Kilusang Mambubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), also called for the end of red-tagging, the abolition of labor contractualization, and the dismantling of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which he accused of engaging in “terrorist labeling.”
“Kaisa rin kami, ang magsasaka na buwagin ang NTF-ELCAC na siyang nagsasagawa ng red-tagging at terrorist labeling sa mga manggagawa at mamayanang Pilipino,” (We farmers stand in solidarity in calling for the abolition of NTF-ELCAC, which conducts red-tagging and terrorist labeling against workers and Filipino citizens,) Ramos said.
Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) renewed its call for a ₱200 wage hike through legislation—marking the first such push in over three decades.
The TUCP emphasized that free government services are not enough to compensate for the long-overdue wage increase, arguing that the proposed hike would only represent 9% to 15% of company earnings.
In response, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced that it would begin reviewing minimum wage levels in several regions this month following an order from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.