Senator Mark Villar has filed Senate Bill No. 2440, or the proposed “Media Workers Hazard Pay Act,” seeking to grant hazard pay and additional insurance benefits to media workers assigned to dangerous areas and emergency situations.
“Media workers serve as the eyes and ears of the public during the most difficult and dangerous situations. Kung inaasahan natin silang humarap sa panganib upang mapanatiling ligtas at may sapat na kaalaman ang ating mga kababayan, tungkulin din nating tiyakin na sila ay protektado, insured, at makatarungang binabayaran,” Villar said.
“Tungkulin nating tiyakin na sila ay protektado, insured, at makatarungang binabayaran.”
The legislator also cited incidents, as in the case of a television reporter who was hospitalized for nearly two weeks in 2022 after contracting leptospirosis while covering a story in Payatas, Quezon City.
In 2024, another reporter assigned to deliver weather updates became a flood victim in his own community and barely managed to save his belongings.
Under Senate Bill No. 2440, duly accredited media workers in both the public and private sectors who are required to physically report from strife-torn or embattled areas, distressed or isolated stations, disease-infested locations, and areas declared under a state of calamity or emergency would receive hazard pay of at least ₱650 per day.
The hazard pay would be granted for the duration of the dangerous assignment and could not be reduced. Media workers already receiving an equal or higher benefit would no longer be entitled to separate hazard pay under the proposed law.
The measure would also require employers to provide additional insurance coverage, including a ₱200,000 death benefit for a media worker who dies in the line of duty; a disability benefit of up to ₱200,000 for total or partial disability arising from an injury sustained in the line of duty; and medical insurance benefits of up to ₱100,000 for every covered media worker.
Media workers who are required to render service beyond the normal eight-hour workday or between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. would likewise receive additional compensation in accordance with existing laws and recognized industry practices.
Villar said the proposed benefits are long overdue, and recognize the serious occupational hazards faced by reporters, camera operators, technical personnel, and other media workers who deliver verified information, official warnings, disaster preparedness measures, and emergency hotlines during calamities and other crises.
“Behind every live report from a flooded community, conflict area, or disease-infested location is a media worker who chooses to fulfill his or her duty despite the risks.”
“Behind every live report from a flooded community, conflict area, or disease-infested location is a media worker who chooses to fulfill his or her duty despite the risks,” the lawmaker said.
“Their courage and public service must be recognized through concrete and enforceable benefits,” the senator concluded.
