Marcos signs 'Eddie Garcia law' for protection of movie, tv workers

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. has signed into law a measure that seeks protection of the welfare of workers in the movie and television industry.

Signed on May 24, 2024, Republic Act 11996 or the “Eddie Garcia Law” stemmed from the death of Filipino movie icon Eddie Garcia, according to the Presidential Communications Office on Tuesday. 

The new law has taken into account the cause of Garcia's death who figured in an accident while shooting for a television show.

The law mandates that the worker and the employer or principal shall execute an agreement or an employment contract in a language or dialect understood by both parties before the commencement of service.

“No agreement or employment contract shall discriminate against a worker who has contracts or projects with other production outfits unless exclusivity is specified in the contract, nor shall any person perform any act involving preference based on race, color, descent, national or ethnic origin, or religion, which has the purpose or effect of nullifying the recognition, enjoyment, or exercise on an equal footing of any human right or fundamental freedom,” the law states.

Under the new law, the workers shall be protected by their employers or principal in the workplace. 

The law indicates the need for the implementation of work hours, wages and other wage-related benefits, social security and welfare benefits, basic necessity, health and safety, working conditions and standards, and insurance.

The protection of the movie and television workers should also be in line with the Labor Code of the Philippines or Presidential Decree No. 442 as amended, and Republic Act No. 11058 or the “Act Strengthening Compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Standards and Providing Penalties for Violations ” and other applicable laws.

When it comes to the number of hours of work, it states that they shall be based on the terms and conditions set in the agreement or employment contract and other stipulations signed with the employer or principal.

In terms of wages, the minimum wage of a worker shall not be less than the applicable minimum wage in the region where the worker is hired and wages shall be paid on time, as agreed upon in the contract, directly to the worker.

Signing lauded

Lawmakers, meanwhile, have lauded the signing of the law.

1-Pacman party-list Representative Mikee Romero thanked the President for honoring the late actor’s legacy with a law protecting his fellow film and television workers.

“We would like to express our deep gratitude to the President for honoring the life of Manong Eddie, Manoy to family and friends, and his contributions to the entertainment industry,” Romero said.

Romero, one of the principal authors of the law, is the son of Lilibeth Romero, who was Garcia's domestic partner for 33 years.

Garcia holds the record for being the only Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards (FAMAS) Hall of Fame awardee in three categories: Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Festival Director. He garnered at least five awards in each category, the most in FAMAS’ history.

Senator Robin Padilla, also an actor and one of the authors of the bill, said the law’s passage is very good news.

"Long live the Filipino television and film industry. This is for you. Alhamdulillah," Padilla said in a separate statement.

Camarines Sur legislator LRay Villafuerte, for his part, said that the new law will benefit all  industry workers, including independent contractors hired to do production work and other services like distribution and exhibition of content, out-of-town shoots and/or lock-in production work that require them to stay in location sites for 24 hours straight or even for several days or months. —VAL/KBK, GMA Integrated News