What Can Minimum Wage Earners Buy With The P40 Pay Hike?

(SPOT.ph) It’s official: The minimum wage will increase by P40 to P610 a day for private establishment workers in the National Capital Region, as confirmed by the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC). 

Employers in NCR are required to implement this 7% increase by Sunday, July 16, as per Wage Order No. NCR-24, while discussions on minimum wage increases in other parts of the country are in the works.

Several labor groups have criticized the pay hike for being insufficient to cope with inflation, arguing in a now-denied petition that the minimum wage should be based on the family living wage of P1,161 instead of the poverty threshold. The Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) went as far as to call the move “inhumane” and “a big insult” to employees.

“The P40 pay hike is meager and cannot keep up with the skyrocketing prices of goods and commodities. [It] shows the lack of genuine concern of the Marcos Jr. administration to lift the workers and their families out of poverty and hunger,” AHW said in a press release.

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that this increase is set to benefit 1.1 million minimum wage earners in NCR. Another 1.5 million employees who earn above the current minimum wage "may also indirectly benefit as a result of upward adjustments at the enterprise level arising from the correction of wage distortion."

Wondering hanggang saan aabot ang P40 mo? SPOT.ph takes a look at what minimum wage earners can buy with that extra P40 in terms of transportation, food and drink, and healthcare.

Also read: How to Budget P1,000, P500, P100 for Food as Inflation Soars

What can you buy with that extra P40 minimum wage in NCR?

We checked how far this P40 a day can take minimum wage employees.

Transportation

• Four traditional jeepney rides – P9 base fare
• Baclaran to Roosevelt via the LRT-1 - P35 for a single journey fare
• Recto to Antipolo via the LRT-2 - P35 for a single journey fare
• North Avenue to One Ayala via the EDSA Carousel - P36.25
• PITX to Ortigas via the EDSA Carousel - P38
• Blumentritt to Sta. Rosa via the Philippine National Railways with no aircon – P36

Food and drink

• Two Lucky Me Instant Pancit Canton – P14 each
• Regular-sized fries in Potato Corner – P35
• Two gulaman drinks in Master Siomai – P15 each
• Extra rice in Jollibee – P32 each
• Three extra gravy sauces in McDonalds – P11 each
• Coca-Cola in can – P34.10 for 315ml
• C2 Green Tea – P 31.50 for 500ml
• Century Tuna – P37 for 155g
• Argentina Corned Beef – P33.25 for 150g
• Kopiko Lucky Day – P23.50 for 180ml
• Two Nissin Mini Cup Noodles – P21.50 each
• Oat or almond milk upgrade in Pickup Coffee – P30

Healthcare

• Green Cross Isopropyl Alcohol – P25.50 for 60ml
• Eight tablets of Biogesic Paracetamol – P4.50 per tablet
• Four tablets of Bioflu – P9 per tablet
• Nexcare Plastic Bandages – P33.93 for a pack of 10
• Medguard Anti-Bacterial Wipes – P22.50 for a pack of 10

Also read: How Many Starbucks Frappés Can PH's Top Billionaires Buy?