Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 1) — A measure filed in the House of Representatives seeks to set minimum wage rates for media workers based on the number of years they have been on the job.
House Bill No. 2476, filed by ACT-CIS party-list Reps. Rowena Niña Taduran, Eric Yap and Jocelyn Tulfo, wants field reporters to be paid at least ₱40,000 a month if they have worked for at least three years. Their monthly minimum wage would gradually increase up to ₱60,000.
Columnists and writers, meanwhile, would have to be paid at least ₱25,000 to ₱45,000, depending on their experience.
Various media workers shall be required to be paid at least ₱20,000 to ₱60,000 depending on their experience, the bill stipulates.
These rates, however, will only apply to media workers in the National Capital Region. A Commission on Press Freedom and Media Security (CPFMS), which will replace the Presidential Task Force on Media Security if the bill passes, will determine the wage rates of media workers outside Metro Manila.
The minimum wage in Metro Manila is ₱512 a day or just shy of ₱12,000 every month.
Career website JobStreet said in a 2018 report that journalism is among the highest-paying industries for fresh graduates, with workers getting paid an average of ₱22,446 monthly.
The bill provides that pay rates would be adjusted every three years.
It also seeks to provide media workers who die or sustain injuries on the job a ₱200,000 death benefit, a ₱200,000 disability benefit and a ₱100,000 medical reimbursement. This is on top of the mandatory government insurance coverage provided by the Social Security System and the Government Social Insurance System.
The bill also provides that media workers would be provided stability of employment and security of tenure.
Taduran, a former radio broadcaster before clinching a congressional seat, said in a press briefing that the measure also provides that media workers can take free qualifying exams through the CPFMS to get promoted. The bill does not explicitly state this.
“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 ACT-CIS lawmakers said in filing the bill.
The measure also requires the CPFMS to produce a regularly updated database of media workers, conduct seminars, and craft and campaign for laws protecting the rights of media workers.
