Part 1
Government-mandated benefits such as SSS, Pag-IBIG, Philhealth are designed to provide workers with financial security and uphold their dignity during and beyond their period of employment. Some companies may also extend additional benefits such as food and transportation allowances, and holiday pay to support employees in alleviating work challenges and addressing occupational risks.
But in reality, many workers, including journalists, are still excluded from these protections.
An initial data survey by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines showed a growing number of journalists in Metro Manila who do not receive such benefits. To make ends meet, journalists are forced to take on other jobs like teaching, development work, and running a small business to survive.
“So yun nga, wala kang benefits non, so kung mag-SSS ka, voluntary payment. PhilHealth, voluntary payment, and all that. Health card mo, sarili mong gastos ano so medyo may trade off din dun, although some people manage to make that work, pero in general hindi siya ideal in the sense that yung social benefits that are mandatory wala kang hahabulin kasi wala namang employer-employee relationship between you and the company.” NUJP chairperson Jonathan De Santos explained.
De Santos further emphasized the value of these benefits in allowing journalists to work with stability.
“Yung idea ng financial stability, kahit hindi naman talaga yun yung nabibigay ng mga to, pero just the idea na merong ganun, bawas na yun sa ano po-problemahin mo, which means na magagawa mo yung trabaho mo nang mas maayos, kasi if you were working on a story but at the same time iniisip mo kung ano kayang kakainin ko? Or mapuputulan kaya kami ng kuryente? Syempre hati yung iniisip mo.” he said.
“Kung pinagkakakitaan ka nga ng kompanya, hindi naman siguro mali na magbalik din sayo ng mga ayun nga, for protection, for social protection mechanisms sayo,” he added
NUJP also found that 159 out of the 327 journalists in Metro Manila only received P5,000 to P10,000 per month, where most of them either did not receive any benefits or were provided only partial coverage.
This lack of benefits and low pay contribute to job precarity in the media industry. Without stable income and social protection, many journalists face heightened stress, making it harder to focus on investigating and reporting stories while also worrying about their basic needs.
These realities highlight the urgent need to revisit and strengthen labor protections for journalists. While their work remains a vital role in society, many are left without the safety nets necessary to practice their profession with security and dignity. Without proper compensation and access to the said benefits, the media sector risks losing workers due to instability and burnout.
Given this, the Media Workers’ Welfare Act was passed in the House of Representatives during the 19th Congress but was not enacted into law as the Senate had failed to pass its counterpart measure.
Now, in the current 20th Congress, Camarines Sur-based solons refiled the pro-media proposal or the House Bill No. 1985, which seeks to give journalists and other workers in the industry rights and benefits enjoyed by their fellow workers in the government and private sector, particularly the security of tenure, hazard and overtime pay, mandatory additional insurance coverage, and other job-related benefits.
Media workers, as defined in HB 1985, are those who are legitimately engaged in news media practice, directly, or indirectly, whether as principal occupation or not.
“Media workers serve as frontliners in ensuring public information, promoting freedom of the press and expression, and upholding democracy, hence contributing to shaping public discourse and act as watchdogs in government accountability issues that, at times, jeopardize their safety and security,” the lawmakers said.
House solons also stressed that many journalists face a wide array of labor standards and protection issues in the country, including contractualization, lack of security of tenure, and dangerous working conditions.
The said bill further aims to:
• Ensure that media workers receive a minimum wage, overtime pay, night shift premiums, hazard pay, and other forms of compensation provided in the Labor Code of the Philippines and other related laws and issuances;
• Provide media workers with social security and welfare benefits, as well as mandatory additional insurance benefits such as death benefit, disability benefit, and medical insurance benefit;
• Classify media workers as regular employees after six months from the start of employment; and
• Mandate the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to create a News Media Tripartite Council (NMTC), which will serve as a platform for media workers and their employers to craft mutually beneficial policies and settle conflicts.
Last June 20, the Commission on Human Rights also called on the Marcos Jr. administration to provide more legal protections for media workers to ensure press freedom, dissent, and civic participation. This includes the need to support proposed legislation such as the Media Workers’ Welfare Bill and Journalist Protection Bill, as well as existing mechanisms like Administrative Order No. 35 (creating an inter-agency task force on extrajudicial killings) and Executive Order No. 31, the decriminalization of libel, and a re-examination of key provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020
Martha Teodoro, a journalist and researcher for the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, called on media companies to at least show sympathy for their journalists.
“Not all media companies have consistent funding, and so it’s really difficult to expect these benefits. But at least take care of your people or make them feel that you care,” she stated.
