BETTER PAY, BENEFITS FOR MEDIA WORKERS PUSHED
SENATOR Raffy Tulfo bats for better compensation and benefits for media workers as he notes the hardships they encounter in carrying out their job.
As a mediaman himself, Tulfo said media practioners, including cameramen and talents, are not paid enough, have no benefits, no holiday pay or overtime pay and have no security of tenure.
“The pay is not commensurate to the work they do for the Filipino people. I know a lot of media people who were taken care of by politicians when they get sick because they don’t have benefits.
What is the implication of this? The media (people) become beholden to the politicians and could not write accurate stories and exposes about their beneficiaries. This has got to stop. We need to give them full-time pay, health benefits, security of tenure so we can call on them to do excellent jobs,” Tulfo said in Filipino during the hearing conducted by the Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development on the proposed measures providing protection and benefits to entertainment and media workers.
It can be recalled that Tulfo earlier urged the need for a salary hike for reporters and journalists and other government media personnel so they can do their job well and look after their families.
“Kung hindi po natin sila bibigyan ng maayos ng sweldo, how can they properly disseminate correct information to the masses kung sila ay demoralized. Tulfo said.
