HOUSE Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Representative Leila de Lima has filed a bill seeking to require media entities to provide additional insurance coverage and tax-free hazard pay to journalists, including those on field assignments, working online, and freelance media workers.
De Lima filed House Bill No. 7292, or the proposed “Journalists’ Welfare and Protection Act,” which aims to establish a comprehensive framework to protect the welfare of journalists and media employees whose working conditions remain difficult and risky.
According to the Bicolana lawmaker, journalists continue to become targets of threats and killings, harassment and red-tagging, and continue to suffer economic insecurity and job losses.
“In an era when the role of a free, independent mass media has never been more central to democracy and to our quest for truth, the rule of law, human rights, and public accountability, it is very unfortunate that the working conditions of journalists remain insecure, underprotected, and undervalued,” De Lima pointed out.
“Journalism is a noble profession of public service. They face the risks associated with their work with a sense of duty to the Filipino people. Nararapat lang na ibigay sa kanila ang deserve nilang mga karagdagang benepisyo,” she added.
The additional insurance benefits outlined in HB 7292 include:
(1) Disability Benefits of ₱350,000.00 for all mass media practitioners who shall suffer total or partial disability, whether permanent or temporary, as a result of any injury sustained during performance of duty;
(2) Death benefits amounting to ₱300,000.00 for all mass media practitioners and employees on field assignment who shall perish in the line of duty;
(3) Reimbursement of actual medical costs up to ₱200,000.00 for all mass media practitioners and employees on field assignments who shall be hospitalized or who shall require medical attendance for injuries sustained while in the performance of duty; and
(4) Reimbursement of actual cost of diagnosis, psychiatric or psychological treatment, counseling, and prescribed medication of up to ₱200,000.00 for all mass media practitioners and employees who, as a result of exposure to traumatic, distressing, or hazardous events in the performance of duty, shall suffer psychological or mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, depression, or related trauma-induced conditions.
Through this proposed measure, freelance journalists shall be covered by a special insurance program to be created by the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). These agencies shall offer the opportunity for freelance journalists to secure supplementary insurance coverage before working in war zones or difficult areas.
This insurance shall cover loss, theft, damage, or destruction of professional equipment arising from coverage or assignment in conflict areas, difficult areas, or disaster areas; accidents, violence, or natural hazards encountered during fieldwork; or other risks incidental to the lawful exercise of journalistic functions.
Moreover, De Lima’s HB 7292 provides that journalists, employees of media entities on field assignments and freelance journalists deployed in difficult areas, conflict areas, disaster areas, and diseases-stricken areas, shall be compensated with tax-free hazard pay equivalent to ₱500.00 per day or 25% of their gross monthly basic salary, whichever is higher, for the duration of such deployment.
“It is imperative that journalists be provided with adequate support and protection to create a work environment where they can effectively perform their crucial duties,” De Lima said.
“With this bill and other related interventions, we aim to strengthen journalism as a profession, honoring our commitment that journalists should no longer work in fear, precarity, or any other form of insecurity,” she added.
As then Senator, De Lima filed a similar bill during the 17th and 18th Congresses, which has now been refined through consultations with media partners and practitioners, particularly the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines – National Capital Region (NUJP-NCR) and the Filipino Freelance Journalists’ Guild (FFJ).
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