The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said Friday it laments the massive layoff of media workers in the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health pandemic and threw its support behind the proposed Media Workers' Welfare Act filed by Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto.
Senate Bill No. 1820 aims to create a basic compensation scheme that will include adequate compensation for hazardous media coverage and guarantee the security of tenure or regularization of all media workers.
The proposed Media Workers’ Welfare Act also mandates the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to create a News Media Tripartite Council to cater to the concerns of media stakeholders and ensure that the labor rights of media workers are protected.
CHR Spokesperson Atty. Jacqueline Ann de Guia lamented that the adverse economic effects brought about by the pandemic have resulted in the retrenchment policies implemented by several media entities and franchise holders, and left numerous media professionals with no income and support system to navigate the negative economic impacts of COVID-19.
"This problem is compounded by massive layoff of media workers by media entities that practice unfair labor practices that mislabel longtime employees as contractual employees, denying them employee-employer relationship and benefits despite multiple years of successive contract renewals indicating the desirability and necessity of the practitioner’s work," said De Guia.
If there is one thing the pandemic has emphasized, she said, it's that the public needs the free media in ensuring the dissemination of timely and factual information to help educate the Filipino citizenry on the health impacts of COVID-19 and the ways to prevent its transmission.
"As a country that prides itself in having a free press, ensuring the protection and just compensation of media practitioners is essential in ensuring the protection of the freedom of expression and the right of individuals to access information," she said.
When media entities and franchise holders deny their workers fair compensation and benefits, the CHR said that they are not only violating labor laws, they are also making journalists vulnerable to certain financial obligations that may affect the objectivity of their news reports.
"In ensuring the protection of labor rights and a free press, the Commission continues to reiterate its support for the protection and promotion of the rights of media workers," said De Guia.
"Together, let us remember that in line with our constitutional rights to freedom of expression and information, the protection of our media workers is necessary to ensure a free and fair media," she added.