‘Eddie Garcia Act’ gets final House nod

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives approved Tuesday the proposed “Eddie Garcia Act,” which institutes policies for protecting workers in the film, television, and radio entertainment industry.

With 235 affirmative votes, the lower chamber approved House Bill No. 7762, named after the late actor Eddie Garcia who fell into a coma following an accident while taping for a television series.

The measure requires an employment contract between the employer or principal and worker or independent contractor. It also sets conditions for the compensable hours of work.

According to the bill, the normal work hours shall be eight hours a day, which can be extended to a maximum of 12 hours, served intermittently or continuously, exclusive of meal periods.

Working hours for minors shall be under the Special Protection of Chidden Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

The bill likewise states that employees should be covered by the Social Security System (SSS), the Pag-IBIG Fund, and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) upon employment.

Employees should also be entitled to retirement benefits stipulated in the Social Security Act of 2018. Likewise, the bill states that the employer shall adequately insure all workers or independent contractors for work-related accidents or death in every film, television, and radio entertainment production.

The bill also affords occupational safety and health, mental health, and anti-sexual harassment to workers in the film, television, and radio entertainment industry.

Further, the bill also states that the employer’s occupational safety and health officer shall conduct a risk assessment of the workplace or location of production to identify or eliminate or control any potential hazard to the film, television, and radio entertainment workers or independent contractors. [ac]