THE Talents Association of GMA (TAG) announced on Saturday that the Supreme Court ruled in their favor in a labor case against GMA Network, which took nearly 12 years to get a ruling.
In a statement dated July 16, 2025, but only made public on Saturday, the high court’s 3rd Division ruled in favor of the 94 members of TAG.
While The Manila Times tried to reach GMA’s Corporate Communications Department on Saturday, the network has yet to issue a comment as of press time.
“Plain as day, there exists an employer-employee relationship between GMA and respondents. Respondents are regular employees of GMA,” the court ruling said.
Most of them are from what is now GMA Integrated News, and the ruling said they are regular employees.
“Talents are regular employees, deserving of security and statutory benefits. We believed that since the beginning, and now there is jurisprudence to protect the next generation of media workers in the Philippines,” TAG said.
“The decision also ruled that 50 of our members, whose contracts were either not renewed or terminated during the pendency of the case, were illegally dismissed. The Supreme Court awarded separation pay and back wages to the 50 illegally dismissed employees,” it added.
TAG admitted that GMA can still appeal the third division resolution, but they have already claimed victory.
“This is 11 years in the making, during which our members have emotionally and mentally suffered from having to take to court what we considered our home network. It was not an easy decision to file the very first case in 2014, and it has not been easy since. We saw our friends leave one by one, their sudden departures heavily impacting livelihoods and careers, when all we ever wanted was to tell stories for the Filipino people,” the group said.
“Plain as day, we — the production assistants, researchers, writers, producers, artists, coordinators and cameramen behind some of your most favorite GMA news and public affairs programs — were employees entitled to protection from the very beginning,” they added.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines also congratulated TAG on their “truly historic win.”
“This victory is vindication for the countless talents, contractors and providers that big media relies on but do not recognize as employees entitled to even basic protections and benefits under our labor laws,” the union said in a Facebook post on Saturday.
“GMA should refrain from opposing the decision and instead abide by the SC (Supreme Court) ruling and fulfill its obligations to media workers... That the case dragged on for more than a decade is shameful enough. Our colleagues deserve what they are owed for their serbisyong totoo (genuine service),” they added.