House bill seeks P20k to P60k in minimum wages for media workers

Representatives of party-list group have filed a bill seeking to set minimum wages for media workers in the Philippines depending on their years of experience.

House Bill 2476, filed by representatives of the ACT-CIS party-list, is seeking for media workers a "comprehensive benefits package" enjoyed by other employees in the government and private sector.

A table in the bill proposes minimum wages between P20,000, for posts such as that of a first-year video editor; to P60,000, for a ten-year field reporter, video editor or art director.

"The least 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 sponsors said.

The bill states that security of tenure shall be given to those working in the media industry.

It also provides for insurance benefits.

Should a media worker die in the line of duty, his or her family shall receive P200,000. Disability benefit may also amount to as much as P200,000.

Media workers shall likewise be allowed to reimburse medical expenses less than P100,000, in case he or she sustains injuries while on duty.

Cash incentives, scholarship grants, exchange programs, and awards shall also be provided to media employees, according to HB 2476.

Further, the measure also provides for the creation of the Commission on Press Freedom and Media Security (CPFMS) which "shall be headed by the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and composed of journalism organizations."

This CPFMS shall replace the current Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFOMS).

Investigation results of "any reported killing, abduction, or harassment of a journalist, regardless of whether or not the suspects are law enforcers" shall be made known to the CPFMS. —Dona Magsino/NB, GMA News