SEN. Erwin Tulfo has renewed his call for the passage of the Media Workers’ Magna Carta following the shooting incident in the Senate last week that was covered by journalists.
The senator, who used to be a broadcast reporter, on Sunday said journalists "risk their lives daily for meager benefits and no safety guarantees." He pushed for the immediate passage of Senate Bill (SB) 249, or the proposed “Magna Carta for Workers in the Media and News Industry Act,” which is one of his top 20 priority measures.
SB 249 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 journalists play a crucial role in revealing the truth about what happened during the shootout. Who did fire first?” he said in a radio interview.
He said 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, really followed the protocol," Tulfo said.
"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 said that the media personnel caught in the crossfire primarily cover the Senate beat and are not trained for police or combat reporting.
“For instance, the Senate media are not accustomed to these kinds of shootouts," he said. “Certainly, it traumatized them — we even heard some reporters crying while doing their live commentary. That’s how endangered they were at the moment.” 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 said.
