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January 24, 2026 | 5:34pm
MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has affirmed a landmark ruling that recognizes nearly 100 talents of GMA Network as regular employees, ending an 11-year legal battle and granting relief to those illegally terminated.
In a 33-page resolution dated July 16, 2025, made public over the weekend, the SC’s Third Division denied GMA Network’s petition challenging the Court of Appeals’ 2019 decision, which regularized employees hired between 2003 and 2013.
The high court highlighted a critical point in independent contracting: “freedom from control from the principal over the means and method of their work.”
The Supreme Court noted that GMA’s "Talent Agreements" showed that employees were bound by the company’s rules and direction.
It also pointed out that GMA’s claim that talents worked flexible hours and had the liberty to work online was misleading.
“Instead, GMA is empowered to set the schedules of production and to require the talent’s presence,” the ruling read.
The network argued that higher talent fees and lack of day-to-day supervision meant there was no employer-employee relationship but the Supreme Court dismissed it.
“Plain as day, there exists an employer-employee relationship between GMA and respondents,” the ruling read.
The high court also resolved another petition on the illegal dismissal of 50 employees whose contracts were terminated or not renewed while the case was pending.
It ruled that these workers are entitled to reinstatement “without loss of seniority rights and other privileges.”
The court further clarified: “This includes full back wages, inclusive of allowances and other benefits with computation from the time their compensation was withheld from them up to the time of their actual reinstatement.”
Should reinstatement not be possible, the SC mandated separation pay equivalent to one month's pay for every year of service, with the computation of monetary awards, including 6-percent legal interest per annum, to be handled by the labor arbiter.
GMA still has the option to file a motion for reconsideration.
'Gift to the next generation'
The Talents Association of GMA (TAG), represented by Buhay Media, celebrated the Supreme Court ruling as a historic win for media workers in the Philippines.
"Talents are regular employees, deserving of security and statutory benefits. We believed that since the beginning, and now there is jurisprudence to protect the next generation of media workers in the Philippines, the statement said.
TAG highlighted that 94 members, mostly from the News and Public Affairs department, are now recognized as regular employees, while 50 members, illegally dismissed during the pendency of the case, are entitled to separation pay and backwages.
"This is 11 years in the making, during which our members have emotionally and mentally suffered from having to take to court what we considered our home network. It was not an easy decision to file the very first case in 2014, and it has not been easy since," TAG said.
"We saw our friends leave one by one, their sudden departures heavily impacting livelihoods and careers, when all we ever wanted was to tell stories for the Filipino people,” it added.
The TAG members initially brought the case to the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) in 2014 after years of service without the benefits and security of tenure that regular employees enjoy, including coverage under Social Security System, Pag?IBIG and PhilHealth.
The NLRC first declared the workers regular employees in 2015. That ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeals in 2019, prompting GMA to bring the case before the Supreme Court.
The group also paid tribute to the late James Arce, “Mang James,” who passed away in 2023.
“This is for him, and his family, for their sacrifices in the name of public service,” TAG said.
TAG called on media companies to end contractualization through talent systems.
"It is time for media companies, especially broadcast networks, to scrap its longtime practice of contractualization through a talent system. It is time to protect Filipino media workers," the group said.
"This should not have cost us this much to fight. But we are glad we did. This is our gift to the next generation," it added.
