Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero has filed a bill seeking to mandate insurance coverage and additional benefits for line workers who build, maintain and repair the country’s electrical transmission and distribution systems.

LINEMEN of MORE Power in Iloilo City. (Tara Yap)

In filing Senate Bill No. 498 or the proposed Line Workers Insurance and Benefits Act, Escudero said it is imperative to provide wider protection benefits to workers in the power sector as they perform “both critical and dangerous work.”

“A number of them do so bereft of any form of coverage against death, accidents, illness, and other fortuitous events that could be sustained in the line of duty,” the senator said in the explanatory note of the bill.

The bill primarily seeks to require private distribution utilities, electric cooperatives, and transmission or grid operators to provide insurance coverage and entitlements such as retirement and disability benefits, death and burial assistance, and medical expense reimbursements.

The coverage also extends to drivers, helpers, and support crew who are deployed alongside line workers during construction and maintenance operations.

“Employers will be responsible for paying the full cost of insurance premiums, which cannot be deducted from employee wages. This provision ensures that workers receive full protection without bearing the financial burden,” Escudero said.

Escudero noted that the House of Representatives has approved the counterpart measure, House Bill No. 7561 in the 19th Congress.

“The provision of insurance coverage and other benefits would ensure that our line workers, as well as their families, are protected from the risks and perils of their chosen occupation,” he said.

SB No. 498 is currently pending before the Senate Committees on Energy and Labor and Escudero said he hopes the bill will be taken up soon when Congress’ session resumes next week.