Citing persistent threats to safety and job security in the media industry, two party-list lawmakers have filed a bill that seeks to institutionalize stronger labor standards and welfare protections for journalists and other media workers.
Newly sworn-in Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Jan Almario Chan, together with Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr., filed House Bill 7431, also known as the Media Personnel Protection and Welfare Act, to address what they described as long-standing vulnerabilities faced by media personnel.
The measure expands labor and safety protections to media workers across platforms, including reporters, correspondents, photojournalists, camera operators, editors, producers, and others involved in news gathering and dissemination nationwide.
Under the proposed law, the state affirms the vital role of media workers in delivering information from the frontlines of conflict, disasters, public emergencies, and issues of public accountability—often while facing serious risks.
The lawmakers said many journalists and media workers continue to work under unsafe conditions while dealing with low and unstable income, job insecurity, and threats of violence, harassment, and legal persecution.
To address these concerns, the bill mandates professional compensation not lower than the applicable regional minimum wage and requires the regularization of media personnel who have completed at least one year of continuous service. It also provides insurance coverage for all media workers, regardless of employment status.
The proposal further directs media entities to ensure that qualified employees are properly enrolled in the Social Security System, Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), and the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG). Freelance media workers, meanwhile, are encouraged to maintain active membership in these institutions as self-employed or voluntary contributors.
Chan and Garbin said the bill targets systemic labor issues in the media industry, including contractual arrangements and worker misclassification that frequently strip media workers of job security, social protection, and basic benefits.
The filing of the measure comes amid continued concern over journalist safety, with records showing that nearly 200 Filipino media workers have been killed since 1986.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.