ECC ready to accept applications for cash aid

by Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star), 18 Jan 2021

MANILA, Philippines — The Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) is again accepting applications for cash assistance from workers who were infected with COVID-19 and other work-related illness or injury.

“Workers may ready their documentary requirements as the new guidelines for cash assistance application will be announced on ECC’s online platforms,” executive director Stella Banawis said in a statement.

Banawis specified that funds are available to pay for claims of ECC benefits for workers in both public and private sectors who suffered work-related sickness, injury or death.

“Both private and public sector workers or employees who suffered from work-related sickness, injury, or death, including those caused by COVID-19 while in the line of work, can apply for their EC benefits by filing for their EC claim at the SSS (Social Security System) or GSIS (Government Service Insurance System). Our prescription period for filing is three years,” she said.

She added that local workers as well as overseas seafarers just need to submit the requirements to avail themselves of the EC benefits.

Last year, the ECC temporarily stopped accepting application for cash assistance due to lack of budget.

Banawis explained that funds for ECC’s cash assistance last year was exhausted but just needs to be replenished due to the overwhelming number of cash assistance applications filed at the ECC office during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Nobody saw COVID-19 coming in 2020. The budget for cash assistance is at an amount regularly allotted for the number of cash assistance applications in the past years. We included COVID-19 sicknesses and deaths in the cash assistance program since COVID-19 is a compensable disease if it is acquired because of work or the working environment,” she said.

“In fact, as of December 2020, the ECC has already released over P40 million to more than 4,000 workers, while a few hundred more are being processed until the end of February 2021,” she added.