The House Committee on Labor and Employment approved on Friday, September 18, afternoon the amended draft substitute bill to the proposed Act enhancing the benefits, protection, and security for media workers in the country.
Hurdling the panel chaired by 1-PACMAN Party-List Rep. Eric Pineda during a virtual hearing was the "Media Workers Welfare Act," which was solely based on House Assistant Majority Leader and ACT-CIS Party-List Rep. Niña Taduran's House Bill (HB) No.2476.
Taduran, a former broadcast journalist, proudly referred to the measure as her "pet bill" given her work background.
The panel members and resource persons spent two hours giving their final refinements to the measure, which would now be readied for plenary approval.
Under the original bill, media workers who are assigned to cover dangerous or hazardous events shall be given an additional P500 in daily pay. Pineda said he found the amount too small, thus in the approved amended version of the bill, it was agreed upon that the media worker would be entitled to a "minimum amount of P500 per day" in hazard pay.
Taduran concurred, saying, "P500 nowadays is not that big, given the current situation." If anything, she said media outlets that can't provide P500 to their employees as hazard pay may have issues regarding their stability.
Death and disability benefits amounting to P200,000 shall also be awarded to the affected media worker. The bill also provides for the creation of a Media Tripartite Council.
Laguna 2nd district Rep. Ruth Mariano-Hernandez moved for the approval of the measure after all comments regarding its provisions were addressed. It was promptly carried by the chairman.
Pineda--who just got back from attending online House hearings after contracting COVID-19--made it clear from the start that he wanted the measure approved at the panel level Friday, since everybody agreed with the spirit of the bill anyway.
He said specific changes, if any, can still be pursued once the bill reaches plenary consideration.
Taduran expressed hope that her measure would be enacted swiftly, especially since Senate President Tito Sotto has already filed a counterpart measure.