Marcos signs ‘Eddie Garcia’ law to protect movie, TV workers

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed into law a measure aimed at safeguarding the rights and welfare of entertainment industry workers by compelling their employers to meet the minimum labor rights standards in the country.

Republic Act 1196, signed into law on May 24, is named after the late actor Eddie Garcia, who died after tripping over loose wires while filming a series in 2019.

The law requires employers to provide workers or independent contractors with a copy of a contract that specifies the number of work hours, job position and description, period of employment, details of compensation and other conditions that will affect the person's work.

Under the law, entertainment industry workers must also be provided wage-related benefits, social security and government-mandated benefits and insurance. They are also entitled to overtime pay.

RA 1196 also acknowledges that the entertainment industry workers’ exposure to occupational hazards and requires employers to comply with the occupational safety and health standards laid out in the Labor Code of the Philippines and Republic Act 11058 or the “Act Strengthening Compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Standards and Providing Penalties for Violations.”

In a statement issued upon Congress’ passage of the bill in March, Olivia Lagman Romero, Garcia’s long-time partner, said that the measure achieves what the late actor had long sought for during his lifetime: to uplift the lives of all those working in the television and movie industry.

Romero called the bill Garcia’s “best gift and lasting contribution” to the local entertainment industry.

The House and Senate versions of the bill were unanimously passed in February 2023 and March 2024, respectively. — Cristina Chi