ECC, DOLE to hold advocacy seminar

CEBU, Philippines - A compensation program advocacy seminar will be jointly conducted today by the Employees Compensation Commission (ECC) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) at the Waterfront Lahug Cebu.

Cecil Maulion, ECC’s information and public assistant division chief,  said that for the past years they only had three compensation advocacy seminars one in Luzon, another in Visayas and Mindanao, but  this year they are planning to conduct eight seminars nationwide to intensify public awareness.

ECC is a government agency mandated by law to provide meaningful and appropriate compensation to workers in the event of work-related contingencies.

The Employees Compensation Program (ECP) is a government program designed to provide compensation package to public and private employees or their dependents in the event of work-related sickness, injury or death.

ECP has three components namely; the prevention, compensation, and rehabilitation service.

Maulion said that Cebu has already ECC Regional Extension Unit with Ingrid Safra Yumang as point person. She is holding office at the Dole building where workers suffering from work-related sickness, injury or even death could ask for assistance.

“In 1975, national lang talaga tayo, sa Makati City lang. Ngayon we already have ECC regional extension unit in Cebu”, Maulion said.

Those who can avail of the benefits should be compulsory members of the Social Security System (SSS) and government sector employees who are members of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), including members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, elective government officials who are receiving regular salary and all casual, emergency, temporary and substitute or contractual employees.

However, those who are self-employed members of the SSS are not covered by the program.

Among the benefits and services ECP is offering are loss of income benefit or cash benefit given to a worker to compensate for lost of income due to work, medical benefits include reimbursement of the cost of medicine for the illness or injury, payment to providers of medical care, hospital care, surgical expenses and the costs of appliances and supplies. The medical services are limited to ward services of an accredited hospital.

Maulion said that they do not just give financial assistance to workers who are covered by these benefits but also they want to highlight their rehabilitation service.

“Hindi lang tayo naglalabas ng pera, income benefits, to workers this time around, gusto namin na yung  mga workers maka pagtrabaho muli after disability or makapagtayo sila ng kanilang sariling negosyo”, Maulion said.

Rehabilitation services include physical therapy, vocational training and special assistance to develop the workers mental, vocational and social potential and to help them remain as productive members of the society.

Care’s allowance is provided to an employee who suffers a permanent total disability arising out of employment the extent of which is such that he could not on his own attend to his basic personal needs.

Death benefits are also granted to beneficiaries of an employee who died as a result of sickness or injury arising out of and in the course of employment.

ECP is separate from SSS benefits, the worker covered in this program could avail both SSS and ECP programs.

Dr. Sarah Antonia Concepcion said that for as long as the worker can justify that the sickness is work-related he/she could avail of the benefits. —(FREEMAN)