ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Senators hail signing of 'Eddie Garcia Law'

Senators hail signing of 'Eddie Garcia Law'

Published May 28, 2024 06:51 am

Senators on Tuesday, May 28, lauded the signing of Republic Act 11996 or the "Eddie Garcia Law" -- a measure instituting policies for the protection of movie and television workers.

Sen. Robinhood Padilla considered this "very good news" for workers in the movie and television industry.

Padilla - who made a name as an action star, director and stuntman in the showbiz industry - served as the principal author and co-sponsor of the measure in the Senate. Fellow showbiz personality Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada sponsored the measure as chairman of the Senate labor committee.

"A very good news came to us today. Eddie Garcia Law is now a law - Republic Act No. 11996. Thank you very much to our sponsor Senator Jinggoy Estrada and to my fellow Senators," Padilla said.

"Long live the Filipino television and film industry. This is for you. Alhamdulillah," he added.

In 2022, Padilla filed Senate Bill 450 outlining safety measures and other benefits for showbiz workers. The measure was dubbed the "Eddie Garcia Law" in memory of the beloved veteran actor who died in 2019 following an accident on set.

"The bill, called 'Eddie Garcia Law' as a tribute to the veteran actor, is a response to the urgent call of the members of the television and movie industry for the government to provide guidelines for safe and better working conditions for the protection of the workers' welfare in the industry," said Padilla in his bill, which has been consolidated into the new law.

With the measure, Padilla expressed hopes of improved work conditions in the industry.

For Estrada, this is a significant milestone in protecting and promoting the welfare of industry stakeholders.

"Finally, we have a law that ensures better safety and working conditions for industry workers, regulates working hours, mandates welfare benefits, provides insurance coverage, and grants the right to collective bargaining. Additionally, it paves the way for the creation of a Movie and Television Tripartite Council to facilitate dialogue and improvements in the industry," he said.

"Ngayon, may malinaw at makatarungan na mga patakaran na magbibigay na ng proteksyon sa kapakanan at karapatan sa trabaho ng mga manggagawa sa TV at movie industry (Now, there is a clear and fair set of rules that will provide protection to the welfare and rights of TV and movie industry workers)," he added.

Estrada thanked all those who supported and worked hard for the bill to become a law, especially President Marcos. He said that it's not only a law, but a symbol of concern and care for the life of those who contribute to the entertainment industry.

"In honoring the memory of Eddie Garcia, a name synonymous with excellence, his enduring legacy is now enshrined in this groundbreaking legislation," he said.

Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla, Jr. said that the passing of Eddie Garcia may have been a big tragedy, it led to great things such as protection of artists and workers in the industry.

The Eddie Garcia Law assures that workers engaged in the movie and television industry shall be protected by their employers in the workplace. The law also provides that employers shall implement hours of work, wages and other wage-related benefits, social security and welfare benefits, basic necessity, health and safety, working conditions and standards, and insurance for the workers.

“Tito Eddie, this is for you and our friends and family in the industry. Maraming-maraming salamat (Thank you so much) for inspiring us to fight for this. Simula pa lang ito para sa tuloy-tuloy na pag-angat ng kapakanan ng ating mga kasamahan (This is just the start of the continuous progress for the welfare of our colleagues),” Revilla said.

Sen. Grace Poe said that like in a movie, they hope that they can now all say "cut" to the woes of workers in the entertainment industry with the signing of the 'Eddie Garcia' law.

She mentioned that the new law should usher an end to the unfair, unsafe, unsustainable and pervasive poor working conditions of the industry workers.

"Ang ating mga manggagawa sa likod ng entablado o kamera ay mahalaga. Walang bida sa pelikula kung wala sila (Our workers behind the stage are important. There are no heroes in movies without them)," she said.

"Sa pag-unlad ng industriya, kasama dapat sila na nababayaran ng sapat, may proteksyon sa trabaho at may oportunidad na lalong maging mahusay (With the industry's progress, they should be included in the right wages, work protection and opportunities to be better)," she added.

Poe said that they will always be grateful to one the Philippines' greatest actors, Eddie Garcia, who has now become a symbol of the fight for the entertainment workers' rights and welfare.

"Great creative work is made when our workers are not worried about their safety and their families' next meal," she added.

Related Tags

Senator Grace Poe Senator Bong Revilla Senator Jinggoy Estrada Eddie Garcia Law Senator Robin Padilla
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.