Calling it a “blatant disrespect” to journalists who risk their lives daily for meager benefits and no safety guarantees, Senator Erwin Tulfo has renewed his push for the passage of the Media Workers’ Magna Carta following a recent shootout at the Senate.
The veteran broadcaster-turned-lawmaker lamented the ordeal experienced by reporters covering the upper chamber when violence broke out on May 13.
“The journalists play a crucial role in revealing the truth about what happened during the shootout. Who did fire first?” Tulfo said in a radio interview.
“The authorities present at the scene should have allowed the reporters, cameramen, to cover the premises.”
As investigations on the incident continue, the legislator argued: “The authorities present at the scene should have allowed the reporters, cameramen, to cover the premises.”
“That could serve as a proof that the security, the law enforcement, if they really followed the protocol. At the same time, it is also to protect them because when so-called perpetrators find out that there’s media presence, they will think twice before firing their guns,” he added.
Tulfo pointed out that the media personnel caught in the crossfire primarily cover the Senate beat and are not trained for police or combat reporting.
“Certainly, it traumatized them—we even heard some reporters crying while doing their live commentary.”
“For instance, the Senate media are not accustomed to these kinds of shootouts. Certainly, it traumatized them—we even heard some reporters crying while doing their live commentary. That’s how endangered they were at the moment,” he pressed further.
The incident prompted Tulfo to reiterate the urgency of passing Senate Bill No. 249, or the “Magna Carta for Workers in the Media and News Industry Act,” one of his top 20 priority measures.
His bill seeks to standardize minimum compensation, overtime and night shift differential pay, security of tenure, hazard allowance, and insurance benefits, among others for media workers.
“This measure is not just about improving journalists’ economic well-being, it affirms their dignity and rights as they stand on the frontlines to hold the line for press freedom,” Tulfo said.
“The May 13 incident in the Senate which threatened the safety of Filipino reporters is only one of the daily struggles they face. Let us give them the compensation and support that they are entitled to,” he concluded.
