Manila, July 25 -- The first tranche of the PHP85 minimum wage hike in the National Capital Region (NCR) took effect on Saturday, raising the daily minimum pay by PHP60, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.

Under Wage Order NCR-27, the initial adjustment brings the minimum salary of private sector workers in the non-agriculture sector from PHP695 to PHP755 per day.

On the other hand, the rate in the agriculture sector, service, and retail shops with 15 or fewer employees, and manufacturing firms with fewer than 10 regular workers rose from PHP658 to PHP718.

In a statement, DOLE Secretary Francis Tolentino said the wage hike is intended to boost the purchasing power of Filipinos and help them keep up with economic condit...