Eddie Garcia Law hollers ‘cut’ on movie labor exploitation

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed into law a bill that requires employers in the entertainment industry to meet the country’s minimum labor rights standards.

Republic Act 1196 was signed into law on 24 May but its enactment was only made public yesterday. It was named after the late actor Eddie Garcia, who died in 2019 after tripping over loose wires while filming a TV show.

RA 1196 says that companies must give workers or independent contractors a copy of a contract that states the number of hours they will work, their job title and description, the length of their employment, how much they will be paid, and any other conditions that will affect their work.

“No agreement or employment contract shall discriminate against a worker who has contracts or projects with other production outfits unless exclusivity is specified in the contract, nor shall any person perform any act involving preference based on race, color, descent, national or ethnic origin, or religion, which has the purpose or effect of nullifying the recognition, enjoyment, or exercise on an equal footing of any human right or fundamental freedom,” the new law states.