The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) has called on media organizations to provide transportation allowances and flexible work arrangements for reporters and staff as fuel prices continue to surge.
In a statement issued Monday, April 6, the NUJP said rising pump prices, projected to reach as high as P170 per liter for diesel and around P115 per liter for gasoline, are further straining the already limited salaries of media workers returning from Holy Week coverage.
The group said field reporters and production staff who are required to be physically present at assignments are among those most affected by increasing transportation costs, particularly those without access to company service vehicles.
“Correspondents should not be left to subtract their transport expenses from the per piece payment of a few hundred pesos they get from newsrooms,” the NUJP said.
The NUJP urged media companies to adopt support measures, including transportation allowances for reporters and correspondents, especially freelancers and provincial contributors who often shoulder their own field expenses.
It also recommended work-from-home arrangements for support staff such as desk editors, social media producers, and creatives, noting that such setups could help reduce daily expenses and ease pressure on limited fuel supply.
The group said pandemic-era remote work demonstrated that media workers can remain productive even outside traditional newsroom settings.
“Such arrangements can also help employers lower overhead costs and ensure that limited fuel is used for necessary trips,” it added.
While acknowledging the essential role of journalists in covering events on the ground, the NUJP stressed that resilience should not come at the expense of worker welfare.
“The media community has helped each other through countless crises in the past, but our resilience is no license for media corporations to set aside their duty to care for their staff,” the group said.
The NUJP’s appeal comes as fuel price volatility continues to affect multiple sectors, with transport costs emerging as a concern for workers whose jobs require daily mobility, including those in the media industry. (LLP)
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