CEBU CITY, July 7 (PIA) -- Both private and government workers who test positive for COVID-19 will receive aid from the government through the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) under its Employees’ Compensation Program (ECP) for as long as the reason for contracting the virus is work-related.
Ingrid Yumang of the ECC-Regional Extension Unit-7 explained that under the ECP, there is a package of benefits for public and private sector employees and their families in the event of work-connected sickness or injury which has resulted to disability or death.
ECC, an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), ensures assistance for frontline workers who suffered from COVID-19 by reason of their employment.
Frontline workers would include the healthcare workers, workers in government, protective service workers like the uniformed personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), cashiers and crew in groceries or stores providing essential good and products, production and food processing workers, janitors and maintenance workers, and truck drivers involved in the transport of essential goods, among others.
Yumang said the ECP benefits provided to workers, who contracted the virus by reason of their employment or working environment, would include medical benefits and cash assistance.
In case of death due to the virus, the funeral benefit would amount to P30,000 plus death benefits, which will be given to the family of the affected employee.
“As for medical reimbursement, we cannot estimate how much it will be since it is the Social Security System (SSS) for the private sector and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for the government sector that will process as the ECC’s administering agencies,” added Yumang.
For approved sickness or injuries, affected workers will receive P10,000 cash assistance and P15,000 for those who died.
The application for EC Benefits will be done at the SSS for private sector employees and at the GSIS for those working in government including uniformed personnel.
DOLE-7 Regional Director Salome Siaton lauded the ECC REU-7 for its continuous advocacy of its programs especially on the assistance that could be extended to workers infected with the virus.
“This is proof that government is doing everything it can in order to help address the needs of the people particularly that of the workers. We encourage everyone to be familiar with the ECC and all its programs. What is important especially for the private sector workers is for one to be able to avail of the EC Benefits, he or she must have been enrolled at the SSS and their remittances or contributions are in place,” said Siaton.
Questions on the EC Benefits could be sent through private message at the ECC Cebu Facebook account.
ECC REU-7 can also be reached at (032)266-7230 or at its website at ecc.gov.ph. (pia7/hfg with report from DOLE 7)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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