By Eunice Samonte
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to probe allegations of delayed compensation and other complaints of media and production workers of a media organization involved in the Department of Education (DepEd) TV project.
Media workers and executive producers (EPs) of Ei2 Tech, Inc., a production company tapped by the DepEd to produce TV episodes for distance learning, have demanded the release of their payments. Some of them reported they have not received full compensation from the company for rendered work since September 2020. The EPs said they were promised payment on December 18, 2020, but they did not receive compensation despite their non-stop work.
“Ang mga media workers na naging bahagi ng DepEd TV ay may malaking ambag sa pagpapatuloy ng edukasyon ngayong panahon ng pandemya, kaya dapat naman siguraduhin natin na hindi nahuhuli ang bayad sa kanila bilang sukli sa kanilang serbisyo,” said Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts, and Culture.
[The media workers who have been a part of DepEd TV have made big contributions to the continuance of education during this time of the pandemic, so we should make sure that their pay is not delayed, in return for their service.]
DepEd clarified that its engagement with the company was at first on a purely voluntary basis. It was on December 29, 2020 that the agency awarded Ei2 Tech, Inc. a P45.5 million contract for the first phase of the DepEd TV project.
As of the second week of March, DepEd officials said the Department has released P9 million in partial payments to Bediones’ company, and cited delays in accounting transactions. The second phase of the project amounts to P200 million and is currently going through a bidding process.
DepEd also stated in an aide memoire dated Dec. 2, 2020 that “Allegations relative to Ei2Tech workers not receiving salaries are baseless because, as per Ei2Tech, there is no employer-employee relationship. Ei2Tech reported that there have been delays in the processing of full payments for contractors who have already completed all the outputs required of them. However, out of the 400 personnel that were mobilized, it was reported that less than ten (10) have not received any payments due to the following reasons: 1) resigned; 2) have unprocessed bank accounts; 3) have no existing official receipts for proper liquidation; or 4) have not turned over their unfinished output.”
