PH Senate shootout revives call for Media Workers Magna Carta

Senator Erwin Tulfo renewed his appeal for the passage of the Media Workers’ Magna Carta after the May 13 shooting incident at the Philippine Senate.

Tulfo, a veteran broadcaster before becoming a senator, said the current lack of sufficient safety protections and meager benefits for journalists as a “blatant disrespect” to those who risk their lives daily in their profession.

The violence that occurred during the three-day standoff involving Senator Ronald Dela Rosa and law enforcement authorities over his International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant.

Tulfo emphasized the need to address the conditions faced by the media in this environment.

“The journalists play a crucial role in revealing the truth about what happened during the shootout. Who did fire first?” Tulfo said in a radio interview.

Tulfo reporters and cameramen should have been permitted to comprehensively document the unfolding events.

“That could serve as proof that the security, the law enforcement, if they really followed the protocol. 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 also emphasized that Senate reporters are not trained to handle dangerous conflict situations unlike police or war correspondents.

“For instance, the Senate media are not accustomed to these kinds of shootouts. Certainly, it traumatized them—we even heard some reporters crying while doing their live commentary. That’s how endangered they were at the moment,” he said.

The senator used the incident to underscore the need to pass Senate Bill No. 249, or the “Magna Carta for Workers in the Media and News Industry Act,” which he identified as among his top 20 priority measures.

The proposed legislation aims to institutionalize standard minimum wages, overtime compensation, night shift differential pay, security of tenure, hazard pay, and insurance coverage for workers in the media industry.

“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 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 added.

Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros filed Senate Resolution No. 400 recognizing members of the media for their courage and professionalism during the shooting incident inside the Senate compound.

In the resolution, Hontiveros praised Senate reporters who continued covering developments even while trapped inside a building amid fears of an active shooter during the standoff.

“Despite being trapped in a building with a potential active shooter, the members of the Senate Media exhibited remarkable personal bravery, prioritizing the public’s right to information over their own immediate safety by continuing to cover the incident as it occurred,” Hontiveros said.

“In an information landscape increasingly compromised by systemic online disinformation, covert influence operations, and coordinated inauthentic behavior, the impartial reporting of the Senate Media serves as an essential pillar of truth, protecting the integrity of our democracy during times of national crisis,” she added.

The resolution seeks to formally recognize Senate media personnel for their actions during the May 13 incident.

The shooting erupted shortly after Dela Rosa resurfaced at the Senate and allegedly attempted to avoid the implementation of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

Gunfire reportedly continued for around three minutes, causing panic among Senate employees and journalists inside the building.

Dela Rosa later managed to leave the Senate premises before dawn on May 14 despite a strong law enforcement presence surrounding the compound.

-Paraluman News