ECC: 33 Years of Caring for Filipino Workers

Accident is the last thing that we want in our workplaces. Every employee wants a safe working environment conducive to become more productive members of our companies. Inevitably though, unfortunate incidents do happen especially in high risk areas. But thanks to agencies like the Employee’s Compensation Commission, we and our love ones can have peace of mind even at the risk of accidents and even death.

ECC At A Glance

For 33 years, the Employee’s Compensation Commission, a government owned and controlled corporation, have been tirelessly providing assistance to Filipino workers who have acquired sickness, injury and death due to work-related causes. Created on March 17, 1975, ECC’s primary thrust is to carry out the mandates of the Employee’s Compensation Program (ECP).

Under the Employee’s Compensation Program, every worker or employee who have been rendered ill, disabled or died due to circumstances that involves his job are qualified for certain benefits which will be provided by the government though the State Insurance Fund. Private companies are obliged to register their companies in the Social Security System while government agencies to the Government Service Insurance System wherein the employer need to pay a monthly contribution not exceeding P10 and P30 pesos, respectively. The monthly contributions will go to the State Insurance Fund which will pay the monetary expenses extended to the worker. GSIS and SSS manages the fund of the SIF by investing it to business while the money generated from investments is being utilized for the operation of the ECC.

Such benefits includes Loss of Income Benefit (Cash Benefit), Medical Benefits, Rehabilitation Services, Carer’s Allowance and Death Benefits. To date, 22.5 million both government and private workers have benefited from the Employee’s Compensation Program with over P26.384 billions of claims settled by GSIS and SSS.

Keeping Workers Safe

“I think the most important concern of workers, aside from fair compensation, is a safe working environment. “If you prevent, workers are happy and they do not develop acquire work related illness or injuries. Workers are happy when they are healthy,” said Dr. Benjamin Vitasa, newly-appointed executive director of ECC. “Workers would rather have their fingers than get small amount of money.

During his first nine months on the job, Vitasa created paradigm shift geared towards more focused in the prevention and rehabilitation of work-related injuries, sickness or death through the Work Contingency Prevention Program. To achieve their goal of intensifying their campaign to lessen work-related sickness, injuries and death, the ECC will identify high risks industries where most incident happens. They have set their target to decrease occupational-related incidents by half in 2008. Their initial studies shows that sickness and injuries are more prevalent in the manufacturing and construction industries and, surprisingly in the academe sector. Meanwhile, the most common illnesses includes hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke.