ILOILO CITY, April 2 (PNA) –- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is re-launching Thursday the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) program among employers and workers at Sarabia Manor Hotel here.
DOLE Regional Dir. Ponciano M. Ligutom said that the ECC is an attached agency of their department that ensures the implementation of the Labor Code and penalizes employers who fail to comply with the legal provisions.
He also said that the re-launching of the ECC program is intended to strengthen awareness among the employers and workers so they would know how to avail of it.
Atty. Jonathan T. Villasoto, OIC-Deputy Executive Director of ECC, said that their commission provides additional benefits to work-related injuries or deaths. He said that part of the governing board of ECC is the Social Service System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). The SSS provides benefits for the private company workers while the GSIS for the public employees. If these two agencies deny claims of workers then the workers could contest with the ECC provided they have proof that their accidents are work related and they have employer-employee relationships.
The ECC program include disability benefits for temporary total disability and permanent total disability, death benefits, monthly pensions, accessory benefits, and entrepreneurial or vocational benefits if workers could not return to work.
He said that the benefits depend on the degree of disability incurred and the salaries of workers.
Government agencies make monthly mandatory contributions taken from the General Appropriations Act while the private companies do the contribution for their workers with the idea that they face liability with their failure.
Villasoto said ECC is having problem with the compliance of private companies that is why they are re-launching the program here to raise awareness. (PNA)
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