Senator Erwin Tulfo on Sunday strongly reiterated the urgent need to pass the proposed media workers’ magna carta, citing a traumatic shooting incident inside the Senate building that put the lives of beat reporters at risk.
Tulfo, a veteran broadcast journalist before entering politics, lamented the harrowing ordeal experienced by the press corps during the May 13 armed confrontation between the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents.
The shootout erupted during an NBI attempt to serve an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant to Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who has been using the chamber as a refuge.
In a radio interview, the lawmaker emphasized that authorities should have permitted the media to document the unfolding crisis rather than shutting them out.
“The journalists play a crucial role in revealing the truth about what happened during the shootout,” Tulfo said. “That could serve as a proof that the security, the law enforcement, if they really followed the protocol.”
He further argued that a visible press presence acts as a vital deterrent against escalation and violence.
“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 pointed out that reporters assigned to the congressional beat are specialized in political reporting, not tactical combat or police operations, leaving them completely unequipped for active-shooter scenarios.
“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,” the senator noted.
The security breach prompted Tulfo to push heavily for the immediate passage of Senate Bill No. 249, also known as the Magna Carta for Workers in the Media and News Industry Act. The bill seeks to institutionalize standard minimum compensation, overtime pay, night shift differentials, hazard allowances, insurance benefits, and security of tenure for all media personnel.
“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 stressed.
“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.”