28 May Protecting the Welfare of Workers in the Movie and TV Industry: How iCare’s ER Care All-In Health Plan Supports the New Eddie Garcia Law for as low as PHP 1350
President Bongbong Marcos recently signed Republic Act 11996 (An Act Protecting the Welfare of Workers in the Movie and TV Industry), also known as the “Eddie Garcia Law,” after the Senate passed the third and final reading of the measure in February.
The law seeks to protect and ensure the safety of those working in the movie and television industry.
The Eddie Garcia law promotes equality of employment opportunities for all. The measure also provides an implementation of work hours, wages and other wage-related benefits, social security, and welfare benefits, basic necessities, health and safety, working conditions and standards, including insurance.
Workers in the movie and television industry shall also be covered and entitled to benefits provided by the Social Security System, the Home Development Mutual Fund or PAG-IBIG Fund, and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.
Failure to comply would incur penalties: up to P100,000 for first offense; up to P200,000 for second offense; and up to P500,000 for third and subsequent offenses
Sen. Lito Lapid, one of the authors of the measure, said in a press release that the law is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest Filipino actors in history.
The legislation was named after Eddie Garcia who died while shooting a teleserye.
EDDIE GARCIA LAW
In 2019, veteran actor Eddie Garcia suffered a fracture due to the fall, resulting in his death.
The Filipino actor died due to neck and cervical fracture after he tripped in a cable wire in Tondo, Manila while shooting a now shelved teleserye “Rosang Agimat.”
The Department of Labor and Employment then found a TV network to have committed 3 violations of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) law in Garcia’s accident, leading to his death.
Under Republic Act No. 11058 or the OSH law, each of the TV network’s violations have penalties of PHP40,000 each. In addition, there is a separate penalty of PHP 100,000, if the violation exposes the worker to death, serious injury, or serious illness.
Garcia’s death caused a clamor among entertainment industry workers calling for better safety and security measures.
FOR MOVIE AND TV WORKERS
The newly passed legislation also calls employers or principals to provide insurance coverage for movie and television industry workers.
Section 18 of the law states that all workers shall be “adequately insured by the employer or principal, at no cost to the worker, for work-related accidents or death in every movie and television production.”
With the new law, a new challenge for insurance companies arises in terms of coverage comprehensiveness, accessibility, and affordability.
iCare has been a trusted HMO for 33 years, with such high regard for the accessibility and affordability of its health services.
Developing health solutions that cater to the needs of partners and members has always been a passionate endeavor for iCare.
With this comes the ER Care All-In, which is a prepaid health plan for as low as PHP1, 350 with up to PHP80,000 worth of coverage for emergency cases due to accidents and viral/bacterial illnesses.
In addition, members can choose the plan’s benefit limit with the option to include Top 6 hospital access.
Learn more about iCare as your health care partner here https://shop.insularhealthcare.com.ph/er-care-all-in
SOURCE: