Quick Answer
Start with the help you need and your city or province in Northern Mindanao. A wage-rate question, a request for conciliation and a formal labor case are different transactions. Use the routes below, prepare a short factual summary, and confirm the receiving office before travelling.
LaborCode.ph is an independent information site—not DOLE, NLRC or another government office. This page does not file a complaint or determine jurisdiction for your case.
Minimum wage in Northern Mindanao
Northern Mindanao’s daily minimum wage ranges from ₱485 to ₱500 for covered private-sector minimum-wage earners: ₱500 under Category I and ₱485 under Category II, effective 1 May 2026. Both agriculture and non-agriculture use the same rate within each category. The category depends on the workplace locality and, for retail and service establishments, the number of workers.
| Category | 16 January–30 April 2026 | From 1 May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| I | ₱486 per day | ₱500 per day |
| II | ₱471 per day | ₱485 per day |
These are basic daily minimums for a normal eight-hour day, not a calculation of total pay or take-home pay. Use the rate in force during the pay period being checked. Source: Wage Order RX-24, sections 1–4 and 6; effectivity confirmed by NWPC’s implementation announcement.
Which category applies to your workplace?
Provinces covered: Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental, together with Region X’s cities and municipalities. There is no single rate for every workplace within a province: check the locality and establishment rule below.
Category I cities — ₱500 per day: Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Malaybalay, Valencia, Gingoog, El Salvador and Ozamiz.
Category I municipalities — ₱500 per day: Tagoloan, Villanueva, Jasaan, Opol, Maramag, Quezon, Manolo Fortich and Lugait.
Category II cities and municipalities — ₱485 per day: all other Region X localities, including the cities of Oroquieta and Tangub and municipalities outside the Category I list, such as Mambajao in Camiguin.
Small retail/service rule: retail or service establishments with 10 workers or fewer anywhere in Region X use Category II, even in a Category I city or municipality. A small establishment’s classification is separate from any exemption it may claim.
Three local examples
These fictional examples assume a covered minimum-wage earner, a normal eight-hour workday on or after 1 May 2026, and no applicable exemption.
- Iligan factory: a worker in a Category I manufacturing establishment uses the ₱500 daily minimum.
- Iligan retail shop with eight workers: the small retail/service classification makes the daily minimum ₱485, despite the shop’s Category I location.
- Mambajao, Camiguin: a covered worker uses Category II’s ₱485 daily minimum because Mambajao is outside the Category I list.
Kasambahays have a separate monthly rate
The minimum for covered domestic workers throughout Region X is ₱6,500 per month from 16 January 2026, under Wage Order RBX-DW-06, sections 1, 2, 5 and 8. It covers qualifying live-in and live-out domestic workers. The order excludes service providers, family drivers and people doing only occasional or sporadic, non-occupational domestic work. It permits no exemption. Do not substitute the private-establishment daily table for this monthly rate.
Check any claimed exemption separately
For private establishments, a small workforce or calamity does not by itself prove an exemption. Under the NWPC’s exemption guidance, eligible employers must apply and the wage board must determine the application. Ask RTWPB-X to confirm the decision, scope and period.
Duly registered BMBEs with a valid Certificate of Authority have a separate minimum-wage exception. A business being small is not enough. See RA 9178, section 8, and the DOLE handbook, minimum-wage coverage and BMBE sections. Verify any claimed certificate with the proper authority; other applicable employment benefits remain relevant.
For a rate check: prepare the workplace city or municipality, business activity, worker count, pay period and available payslips. Use the RTWPB-X contact details below to confirm a disputed category or exception. For a pay complaint, follow the separate assistance routes on this page.
Last update / wage check: 4 November 2026. Added the rate table, locality categories and separate domestic-worker rate using the official NWPC Region X page and the cited authorities, checked on this date. This scoped update does not determine an individual claim or recheck every office contact on this guide.
Choose your next step
I want to check a Northern Mindanao wage rate
Use the official Region X wage page and ask RTWPB-X which category and effective date apply. Have the workplace city/municipality, business activity, workforce size and pay period ready. A displayed regional range alone does not establish the amount legally owed.
For the broader explanation, read our minimum-wage guide.
I need help resolving a workplace problem
Read how to file a DOLE complaint to distinguish an assistance request from other routes. The official DOLE ARMS portal provides an online Request for Assistance route. Use its own instructions and confirmation process; opening the portal is not filing a request.
Under RA 10396, conciliation-mediation is subject to exceptions, and a party may request termination of that process and referral. It is not a promise that the parties will settle.
I have an NLRC referral, case or filing question
Use the NLRC filing guide for procedure and venue qualifications. Then identify the appropriate regional or sub-regional receiving office through the NLRC official directory. Do not assume that every regional office, satellite or appellate division receives the same transaction.
I am unsure which route fits
Start with Where should I file?. Its result helps you prepare questions; it is not a binding jurisdiction decision. If a deadline may be running, seek timely advice rather than waiting for an online reply.
Find help by locality
Northern Mindanao includes Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental, including its cities. Geography alone does not establish the competent agency or branch for a particular dispute.
• Iligan and Lanao del Norte: check the local DOLE field-office route and the NLRC sub-regional branch rather than assuming you must travel to Cagayan de Oro.
• Malaybalay and elsewhere in Bukidnon: check the provincial route and whether the NLRC Malaybalay satellite can receive your particular transaction. Confirm its service scope and schedule first.
• Camiguin: ask about the local field-office or official online route before arranging inter-island travel.
• Misamis Occidental: ask which provincial contact receives the particular service; do not treat a CDO map result as the only option.
• Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental: distinguish DOLE assistance, wage-board information and NLRC proceedings. Similar agency names or nearby offices are not interchangeable.
DOLE field offices near you
The DOLE-X portal lists these local offices. Confirm the address, available service and appointment arrangements before travelling.
• Iligan / Lanao del Norte: OREDC Building, Badelles Extension, Ubaldo Laya, Iligan City 9200.
• Bukidnon: San Victores Street, Barangay 9, Capitol Compound, Malaybalay City.
• Camiguin: 3rd Floor, HH Commercial Building, Lagunde, Baybay Interior, Poblacion, Mambajao.
• Misamis Occidental: Ground Floor, DOLE Building, CEO Compound, Judge M. Enerio Street, Upper Langcangan, Oroquieta City.
• Cagayan de Oro field office: 3rd Floor, Trinidad Building, Corrales-Yacapin Street, Cagayan de Oro City.
• Misamis Oriental field office: the portal separately lists the same 3rd-floor Trinidad Building address in Cagayan de Oro.
Ask about opening hours, appointments and the services available at your local office before travelling.
Iligan and Lanao del Norte local DOLE help
DOLE-X Lanao del Norte Provincial Field Office: OREDC Building, Badelles Extension, Ubaldo Laya, Iligan City.
View the Iligan DOLE location on Google Maps · DOLE Lanao del Norte Facebook page
Confirm the OREDC Building address and appointment arrangements before travelling.
Wage questions: RTWPB-X
Address: 2nd Floor, Trinidad Building, Corrales–Yacapin Streets, Cagayan de Oro City.
Telephone: (088) 856-4517 Mobile: 0995-238-6304 Email: rb10@nwpc.dole.gov.ph
Open the official regional wage-board page.
View RTWPB-X on Google Maps · RTWPB-X Facebook page
For the applicable wage rate, use the official wage order rather than relying only on a social-media announcement.
DOLE Region X: ask for the appropriate local receiving office
Regional contact: Trinidad Building, Corrales-Yacapin Street, Cagayan de Oro City 9000. Telephone (088) 858-1658; email ro10@dole.gov.ph.
Visit the official DOLE Region X website. Alternative telephone: (088) 882-0154.
View the DOLE regional office on Google Maps · Official DOLE NorthMin Facebook page
When contacting the regional office, state Iligan/Lanao del Norte, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Misamis Occidental or Misamis Oriental, as applicable, and ask for the local receiving route for your transaction. Do not send sensitive documents until the official submission channel is confirmed.
NLRC contacts in Northern Mindanao
Find regional and local branches in the official NLRC directory. A nearby office is not automatically the correct filing venue. Confirm the receiving branch and permitted filing method using the NLRC filing guide and the office itself.
Regional Arbitration Branch X in Cagayan de Oro
Address: Cham Giam Realty Building, Block 1 Lot 18, Mastersons Mile South, Upper Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City 9000.
Telephone: (088) 857-2672 · Mobile: 0917-305-9554 · Email: rab10_nlrc@yahoo.com
View NLRC RAB-X on Google Maps
This is the Regional Arbitration Branch X, not the separate NLRC Eighth Division. Confirm that it is the proper receiving office for your transaction.
Sub-Regional Arbitration Branch X in Iligan
Address: 4th Floor, Diocesan Centrum Building, Salvador T. Lluch Street, Poblacion, Iligan City.
Telephone: (063) 302-3028 or (063) 221-5055 · Mobile: 0997-367-5290
Email: nlrcsrabx@gmail.com or srab10@nlrc.dole.gov.ph
View NLRC SRAB-X Iligan on Google Maps
Malaybalay satellite office
Address: 2nd Floor, National and Provincial Offices Building, Provincial Capitol Compound, San Victores Street, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon.
Confirm the satellite's available services, receiving arrangements and schedule with RAB-X before travelling. Use the official address above when asking for directions.
Prepare before contacting an office
Keep a short factual summary, relevant dates, the employer's name, workplace location, your contact details and the result you are asking about. Gather records that you lawfully have—such as notices, contracts, payslips, messages and earlier agency references—and keep originals safe.
If something is missing, say exactly what you do not have. Do not invent dates, figures or documents. Ask what alternative record the office will accept for that transaction.
You can ask:
“I work/worked in [city or municipality]. My concern is [short description]. Do you handle this transaction? Which office or online process should I use, what should I bring, and do I need an appointment?”
A call or ordinary email inquiry is not automatically a formal filing. Keep the official reference and receipt when you do submit something.
Two local examples
Iligan worker with a pay concern: first identify the pay period, workplace and disputed item. Check the wage-information route if the question is the rate itself; use the complaint guide if seeking assistance with recovery. Do not assume these are the same service.
Camiguin worker preparing an inquiry: confirm the local receiving route and whether the particular step can be done online before paying for travel. Do not assume that an online inquiry stops a deadline or completes a formal complaint.
These examples are fictional preparation scenarios, not findings about individual cases.
Use Maps and Facebook safely
Confirm the office before travelling. Keep private documents out of public comments and reviews. Use the agency’s stated filing channel.
Frequently asked questions
1. Do I have to go to Manila for a labor concern?
Not necessarily. Start with the local or regional office that handles your concern; the correct branch depends on the transaction and filing rules.
2. Is the wage board the same as the NLRC?
No. The wage board is the contact for regional wage-rate questions. For a labor case, check the NLRC procedure and the branch that can receive your filing.
3. Can I start an assistance request online?
The official DOLE ARMS portal offers a Request for Assistance route. Follow its requirements and retain the confirmation. This is distinct from assuming every formal case can be filed there.
4. What should I prepare before contacting an office?
A concise factual summary, relevant dates, workplace location and available supporting records. Ask the receiving office for transaction-specific requirements.
5. What if I have no payslip or contract?
Explain which documents are missing and ask what other records are acceptable. Keep the evidence you lawfully have; do not create substitute documents that misstate the facts.
6. Does a Google Maps listing prove the correct filing venue?
No. It helps with physical location only after the office has been identified. Confirm service, jurisdiction and visit arrangements separately.
7. Is LaborCode.ph a government filing service?
No. It is an independent information resource. Submit documents only through the official agency process, not through this guide.
8. Taga-Iligan ako. Kailangan bang sa CDO agad?
Huwag munang mag-assume. I-check ang local office at ang tamang procedure para sa concern mo. Magtanong muna bago bumiyahe; hindi lahat ng office pareho ang tinatanggap na transaction.
9. Puwede bang sa Facebook ko ipadala ang payslip at ID?
Huwag ilagay sa public comments. I-verify muna ang official channel at itanong ang secure submission process. Gamitin ang filing channel na itinakda ng ahensiya.
10. Nasa Camiguin ako—paano makakaiwas sa sayang na biyahe?
Sabihin ang location at concern mo, at itanong kung may local receiving office o official online step. I-confirm ang requirements at appointment bago bumiyahe. Huwag ipagpalagay na nahihinto ang deadline habang naghihintay ng sagot.
Official sources
Contact information checked November 2, 2026. Confirm hours and appointment requirements before visiting.
• RA 10396
General information only, not legal advice. Contact the appropriate office or a qualified adviser about your situation. No outcome, settlement, filing acceptance or legal entitlement is guaranteed.
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