The Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) 6 awarded, March 16, a total of P100,000 cash assistance to selected employees both in the private and government sectors in Western Visayas who contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID –19).

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) VI Assistant Regional Director lawyer Dax Villaruel and ECC 6 Regional Officer Stephen Barredo handed the P10,000 EC cash assistance each to 10 beneficiaries from the provinces of Capiz, Iloilo and Negros Occidental during the media briefing held in line with the celebration of the 48th anniversary of ECC.

One of the beneficiaries, Engineer Ernesto Ticao, a former employee of the local government unit of Oton, Iloilo, was elated to receive the assistance and advised those who suffered from the disease to avail of the cash aid.

Despite the meager amount, this still could help them, he said.

Ticao experienced COVID-19 twice. He was hospitalized for 11 days when he first contracted the disease in 2020 while still employed with Oton LGU. A year after, he was reinfected but treated at home.

Since 2020, Barredo said ECC has been implementing reforms and programs through the Employees Compensation Program and one of these programs is the COVID-19 cash assistance program.

Launched in 2021, the cash assistance for COVID-19 intends to provide additional support to ease the financial burdens not only of workers but also employers who suffered from COVID-19. Also, a P15,000 cash assistance is provided to beneficiaries in case of work-related death due to COVID-19.

Barredo said the cash assistance is on top of the benefits received by the beneficiaries from their EC sickness/disability benefits from GSIS or SSS.

He said the approved EC benefit voucher

from GSIS/SSS can be used as a document to process their cash assistance. Another requirement is the Certificate of Employment dated on the last day of duty prior to contracting the disease. The prescription period for filing is three years.

However, Barredo said the applications for the cash assistance for COVID 19 has been temporarily suspended to expedite the processing of the pending applications.

To date, ECC 6 has received 514 applications and is waiting for the release of 114 approved EC cash assistance claims.

On the other hand, ECC Central Office has approved some 9,946 applications related to COVID 19, as of December 2022.

Barredo said COVID 19 is now included on the agency’s list of occupation and work-related diseases.JBG/laf/PIA6-Iloilo