THE House of Representatives on Monday approved a measure seeking to provide mandatory insurance coverage and other employment benefits to all electrical line workers in the country who face an enormous amount of risk in their line of work.

With an overwhelming 259 votes, lawmakers voted to approve on third and final reading House Bill (HB) No. 7561 or the “Line Workers Insurance and Benefits Act,” which also mandates employers be it in the private or public sector to provide line workers with additional benefits such as retirement pay.

“The power industry is what energizes our economy, lights up our homes, and allows us to live in comfort. And behind the energy sector are the line workers who risk their lives and limbs just to preserve and maintain our way of life,” said Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.

“It is only right to afford them the benefits and protection due to them and their families for the perils they face in their line of work. This measure is in recognition of their immense contribution to our society and to nation-building,” he added.

Some of the principal authors of the bill are Reps. Alfelito Bascug, Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, Manuel Jose M. Dalipe, Sergio Dagooc, LRay Villafuerte, Brian Yamsuan, Dan Fernandez, and others.

Under HB 7561, line workers shall refer to persons “including crew, drivers, and helpers, who are directly responsible for the construction, installation, maintenance, reconstruction, and repair of overhead transmission and distribution electrical systems, including underground cables, electrical substations, and other related electrical equipment and facilities.”

They also include line workers employed in private distribution utilities (PDUs), electric cooperatives (ECs), and transmission or grid operators, who shall be entitled to life, accident, or disability insurance benefits.

In the case of electric cooperatives, the insurance coverage requirement shall be calibrated by the following classification: P200,000 for small cooperatives, P400,000 for medium-sized, P600,000 for large, P800,000 for extra large, and P1 million for mega large.

“For the transmission or grid operator, the minimum insurance coverage shall be P2 million. For Private Distribution Utilities, the minimum insurance coverage shall be P1.5 million,” the measure stated.

“The coverage shall be effective upon the commencement of their employment until their separation from the company, either by resignation, termination, or retirement. The insurance premium payments shall be shouldered entirely by the employer,” HB 7561 said.

The bill also mandates additional benefits for line workers, including retirement benefits, disability benefits, mortuary assistance and reimbursement of medical expenses in case of death, accident, sickness, or disability injury sustained by the line worker in the line of duty.

“The Department of Labor and Employment, in consultation with stakeholders, shall provide a comprehensive list of all other benefits that line workers should be entitled to in addition to the above mandatory benefits and the same shall be incorporated in the rules and regulations to be issued to implement this Act,” the bill added.

Tasked with promulgating the implementing rules and regulations of the bill, if enacted into law, is the National Electrification Administration (NEA), together with DOLE, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), and in consultation with the PDUs and ECs.