Central Visayas Kasambahay Wage Hike: ₱7,500 From October 14, 2026

Kasambahay minimum wage of ₱7,500 per month effective October 14, 2026 in Central Visayas, including Negros Oriental and Siquijor; illustrated domestic worker and employer review wage records.

Kasambahays in Central Visayas, Negros Oriental and Siquijor will have a ₱7,500 monthly minimum wage from October 14, 2026, up from ₱7,000. To enforce the increase, document the unpaid difference and seek assistance through DOLE’s Single Entry Approach (SEnA). The new rate applies from October 14, 2026; pay for work before that date is checked against the ₱7,000 rate. Sources: NWPC’s Region VII wage table and DOLE ARMS.

Evidence and action

Rule

Wage Order ROVII-DW-06 sets the new household-worker wage floor.

Coverage

Check the household’s location and the worker’s actual duties against Section 2 of the order.

Evidence

Keep your own contract, payslips, payment records and messages about the agreed wage.

Timing

The new rate starts October 14. Separate earlier pay from work covered by the increase.

Next step

Employers: check the first affected payroll. Workers with an unpaid shortfall: file a SEnA Request for Assistance.

DOLE’s September 29 announcement confirms the adjustment. This article focuses on the household-worker order and the steps to take if it is not followed. The separate daily-wage increase is covered in our Central Visayas ROVII-27 update. Source: DOLE announcement.

What changes on October 14, 2026?

Item Verified rule
Monthly minimum before effectivity ₱7,000
Monthly minimum from October 14, 2026 ₱7,500
Increase in the wage floor ₱500 per month
Area Central Visayas, including Cebu and Bohol, plus Negros Oriental and Siquijor
Order issued / published September 14 / September 28, 2026

Source for the table and effectivity date: NWPC, Region VII domestic-worker wage table.

Who is covered?

The order covers live-in and live-out domestic workers, including househelp, yayas, cooks, gardeners, laundry workers and other people regularly doing household work as an occupation. It excludes service providers, family drivers and occasional or sporadic work that is not occupational. No exemption is allowed under this order. Negros Oriental and Siquijor are expressly included: under the interim DOLE–Negros Island Region arrangement, RTWPB VII keeps wage-setting jurisdiction over both provinces. Sources: ROVII-DW-06, Sections 2, 4 and 6; the list of household roles follows the definition of “domestic worker” in RA 10361, Section 4(d).

What if the worker already earns more than ₱7,500?

The order sets a minimum; it does not prescribe an automatic ₱500 addition to every above-minimum salary. Check the employment agreement for a promised adjustment. Section 7 permits mutually agreed competency-based pay above the minimum. Existing benefits must also be protected under RA 10361, Section 41. Source: ROVII-DW-06, Sections 1 and 7.

How can a kasambahay enforce the increase?

1. Identify the work period and the actual shortfall

Write down the household’s city or municipality, your duties, employment dates, agreed monthly wage and amounts actually paid. Separate basic wages from lawful deductions and other benefits. A bank deposit or cash receipt alone may show only net pay.

For October payroll covering dates on both sides of October 14, ask for an itemized computation. The published order does not specify a transition-month divisor. Do not assume that the whole ₱500 is payable for October or invent a daily rate by dividing by 26 or 30. Ask DOLE or RTWPB VII to confirm the computation for the actual arrangement. Earlier underpayments remain a separate issue to assess using the rate then applicable.

2. Preserve useful evidence

  • Employment terms: your contract, hiring messages and any promised increase
  • Payments: payslips, receipts, bank or e-wallet records, and a dated list of cash payments
  • Work period: start date, pay periods, attendance or other records showing when you worked
  • Response: messages requesting correction and the employer’s reply

Keep records you lawfully possess, preserve originals and avoid editing message screenshots. This is a preparation list, not a declaration that every document is mandatory. If there is no written contract or payslip, tell DOLE what evidence you do have.

The employer must issue a payslip showing the amount paid and deductions each payday and retain copies for three years. Source: RA 10361, Section 26.

3. Ask for correction, if it is safe

A written request can identify the problem without escalating the language. Adapt this example to the actual pay period and figures:

Please check my pay for [period]. I understand that Wage Order ROVII-DW-06 sets the monthly minimum at ₱7,500 from October 14, 2026. My payslip shows basic pay of [amount]. Please give me the computation and pay any difference due. Please also show each deduction separately.

This request is a practical first step, not a requirement to keep negotiating indefinitely before seeking help. Skip direct contact if it would expose you to threats or abuse.

4. File a SEnA Request for Assistance with DOLE

Open the official DOLE Assistance for Request Management System (ARMS), choose Kasambahay as the filer type and follow the submission steps. You can also ask for onsite assistance at a DOLE regional or provincial office.

Explain the unpaid wage difference and affected dates. Include the employer’s details and workplace address accurately, keep the reference or docket number, and monitor the contact channel you provided. ARMS has a tracking function. See our SEnA filing guide for general preparation; the kasambahay-specific route below controls the next stage.

5. Follow the kasambahay-specific DOLE process if settlement fails

Attend the conferences and bring your records. SEnA seeks a settlement; filing does not guarantee payment. If unresolved, ask the handling officer about referral to the DOLE Regional Office with jurisdiction over the workplace. RA 10361 assigns labor-related kasambahay disputes to that office, with conciliation and mediation before a decision. Source: RA 10361, Section 37.

DOLE’s kasambahay complaint guidance describes a mandatory conference and Regional Director compliance-order process. Ask which current procedure applies and what to do if a settlement or order is not complied with. Do not assume the next step is automatically an NLRC case. For Negros Oriental or Siquijor, confirm the receiving office with DOLE; the wage-board order’s coverage does not by itself settle current complaint-routing arrangements. Source: DOLE’s kasambahay complaint guidance.

How much might be unpaid?

Illustrations only: assume a covered worker completes a full month after effectivity, is entitled to the full monthly basic wage, and has no absence or partial-month adjustment. Compare basic pay before lawful deductions.

  • Paid ₱7,000 for November 2026: ₱7,500 minus ₱7,000 = ₱500 basic-wage shortfall
  • Paid ₱7,300 for that full month: ₱7,500 minus ₱7,300 = ₱200 basic-wage shortfall
  • Paid ₱8,000: no shortfall against the ₱7,500 floor on those figures; separately check any contractual increase

These are examples for pay periods after October 14, 2026, not a claim that any amount is already overdue. They exclude other benefits, interest, penalties and case-specific adjustments. For several affected months, list and add each month’s verified difference. Keep October’s split-period calculation separate. Rate source: NWPC table.

What should household employers do?

  1. Check coverage and pay arrangements now. Record the applicable rate and effective date in payroll and the employment terms. Give the worker a copy of the adjustment.
  2. Explain the first affected computation. Separate the periods before and from October 14, and verify any partial-month treatment before payday.
  3. Follow the payment rule. Section 3 requires cash payment at least monthly and allows only deductions mandated by law. Do not offset the increase with a new food, lodging or recruitment deduction. Source: ROVII-DW-06, Section 3.
  4. Issue an itemized payslip and preserve payment records. Correct identified shortfalls with a clear breakdown and proof of payment.
  5. Recheck related benefits. The higher wage feeds into 13th-month pay and SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG contributions. Because the new minimum is above ₱5,000 a month, the kasambahay pays the proportionate employee share of the premiums, as already applied at ₱7,000, while the employer pays the employer share. Apply each agency’s current contribution table; a ₱500 wage increase does not mean a ₱500 contribution increase. Source: RA 10361, Sections 25 and 30.

If a licensed private employment agency placed the worker, involve it in resolving a wage shortfall. Section 5 makes the agency jointly and severally liable with its principal or client for failure to pay the prescribed rate. Source: ROVII-DW-06, Section 5.

Choose your next step

Share personal records through official private channels, not public comments. For broader rights and benefits, see the kasambahay guide; use this order for the specific 2026 regional wage change. Return to labor law updates for other developments.

Sources and legal citations

  1. Wage Order No. ROVII-DW-06, official NWPC PDF: Sections 1–9 on rates, coverage, payment, territorial inclusion, agencies, exemptions, competency-based pay, penalties and effectivity
  2. NWPC Region VII wage table: publication, effectivity, rates and regional contact
  3. DOLE, September 29, 2026 wage announcement: official news confirmation and assistance contacts
  4. Republic Act No. 10361 (Batas Kasambahay), Lawphil: Sections 4(d), 25, 26, 30, 37 and 41 on coverage, wage payment and 13th-month pay, payslips, social-insurance contributions, dispute resolution and non-diminution
  5. DOLE ARMS: current online RFA filing and tracking service
  6. DOLE kasambahay complaint guidance: explanation of the specialized complaint procedure
  7. DOLE rescue and rehabilitation guidance: urgent assistance for abused kasambahays

Sources rechecked as of: October 8, 2026

This is general legal information. Amounts due and the proper procedure depend on the facts and current official rules. LaborCode.ph is an independent information resource, not a government agency or a law firm.

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