House bill eyes protection for media workers
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Thu, 01 Aug 2019 11:50:27 +0000
A bill at the House of Representatives was filed seeking to uphold humane work conditions and sufficient living wage for media practitioners.
ACT-CIS Partylist Rep. Niña Taduran, a former broadcaster, on Thursday sought the passage of House Bill (HB) 2476 or the Media Workers’ Welfare Act, which she filed last week.
“Because of their dedication to their chosen field, we are always informed of every occurrence around us, near or far, local or foreign, night or day, be it in a peaceful area or in a war-torn location,” Taduran said.
“The least that we can do to show that we recognize the invaluable contribution of media workers to society is to give them their economic due and added protection under the law,” the lawmaker added.
The measure seeks to grant additional insurance benefits to media workers, including death and disability benefits of up to P200,000 and reimbursement of actual medical expenses of up to P100,000; apart from awards, cash incentives, scholarship grants, and exchange programs.
A Commission on Press Freedom and Media Security (CPFMS) will be established, in coordination with the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and other journalism organizations, to ensure safety of media workers from all forms of attacks.
A compensation table providing minimum monthly compensation for media workers was also proposed, with P20,000 to P40,000 as the estimated minimum rates equivalent to years of experience in the industry and positions ranging from propsman to field reporter.
Violation of such provisions will be fined P300,000 to P500,000 or imprisonment of at least two years depending upon the discretion of the court. GLEE JALEA