Senate President Vicente Sotto III is seeking the grant of better protection, security of tenure, and benefits for media practitioners as a move to recognize their role in information dissemination.
The proposed Media Welfare Act (Senate Bill 1820) is pushing to provide workers in the media industry the benefit packages that are almost similar to government and private sector employee benefits.
The bill includes the creation of a basic compensation scheme for media workers, guaranteed security of tenure or regularization, Php 500.00 hazard pay for dangerous coverage, and provision to expand the benefits mandated by the law.
Sotto is also seeking the establishment of a News Tripartite Council that will connect various stakeholders and provide media worker groups the platform to create policy decisions in the industry.
– Report from Eunice Samonte
