House probe sought on ‘labor violations’ at DepEd TV

MANILA, Philippines — The six-member Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives is pushing for the chamber’s labor panel to look into the reported delay in payment of media workers and the alleged labor violations they faced while working under the DepEd TV project.

Workers under the project, spearheaded by TV personality Paolo Bediones’ production company Ei2 Tech, have alleged they were initially promised monthly payments, but were later told that they were going to be paid per episode only.

In particular, executive producers were supposedly promised to be paid P60,000 a month, where they are expected to produce 16 episodes, only to be told later on that they would only be paid per episode.

Worse, the progressive lawmakers said in House Resolution No. 1662, the 400 workers who started working in September 2020 have still not received payment for the services they have rendered despite several demands.

The lawmakers said that the workers were terminated by Bediones when they aired their grievances.

“[The Department of Education] has the moral responsibility to ensure that the workers under their contracted service providers should be properly compensated without delay, especially under the economic hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Makabayan bloc said.

DepEd TV has started airing in several channels to augment the remote learning experience of schoolchildren.

Workers said in a letter published in Pilipino Star Ngayon that Ei2 Tech’s management revealed on November 22, 2020 that it was struggling financially, but promised that workers’ salaries would be paid in full from December 15 to 18, 2020.

However, they said that they have yet to receive their salaries.

In response, Bediones admitted in a letter also published in Pilipino Star Ngayon that the payment of workers has been delayed, but is being processed.

He said a majority of the people working under the DepEd TV project do not have official receipts and that the company should not issue any payment without these, but they have been “extremely understanding and accommodating.”

He also took a swipe at the workers, saying that they are not employees of his company and should refrain from calling themselves such. — Xave Gregorio