Region 1 tops in employees' compensation awareness

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=942185
• Tuesday, November 22, 2016

LAP/LVM/LVMICUA/RMA

DAGUPAN CITY, Nov. 22 (PNA) -- Region 1 had the highest awareness rate last year as far as the Employees' Compensation Program (ECP) is concerned among all regions throughout the country.

This was bared by Ma. Cecilia E. Maulion, Chief of the Information and Public Assistance Division (IPAD) of the Employees' Compensation Commission (ECC) during a news conference here on Tuesday.

ECC is an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) mandated by law to provide meaningful and appropriate compensation benefits and services to workers in the event of work-related contingencies.

Maulion said Region 1, which comprises Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte, had an EC awareness rate of 63 per cent.

Surprisingly, the National Capital Region (NCR) was down below with an awareness rate of only 35 per cent.

The ECC, with Deputy Administrator Jonathan Villasoto, held a news conference here on Tuesday prior to conducting an advocacy seminar on Nov. 23 at the Star Plaza Hotel in a bid to ensure that workers are informed of their rights, benefits and privileges under the Employees Compensation Program (ECP).

Villasoto clarified that ECC is a policy-making body which will decide on cases to be filed by an employeeor dependents if his compensation as provided by law is denied by the Social Security System (SSS) or Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

Villasoto said more than 120 human resource officers, employers, labor union representatives from different private establishments, government agencies, including uniformed personnel from the armed forces of the Philippines , Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology from Dagupan city and the nearby areas are attending the seminar.

The seminar will discuss the three EC program components: prevention, compensation and rehabilitation services.

This will also tackle the recent program reforms of ECC anchored on the 3ES, namely equalize, enhance and expand strategy in response to the challenges facing the EC program.

These components play a major role to effectively and efficiently deliver to workers a comprehensive package of services and benefits to workers who suffered from work-connected illness, injury or death.

There will also be consultation meeting with representatives of the sss and gsis to update officers on the EC program policies and resolutions in order top facilitate processing of ECP claims.

At the same time, Villasoto clarified that only workers who have employer-employee relationship with their employers are covered by the EC program.

An employee's coverage shall take effect on the first day of his or her employment.

All ec claims may be filed by the claimant or his beneficiary at the SSS for private sector employees and the GSIS for the public sector employees in cases of injury, sickness or death.