Five members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Eastern Visayas recently received cash assistance amounting to ten thousand pesos each through the Employees’ Compensation Commission’s Quick Response Program (QRP).

The cash assistance is on top of the loss of income, medical, death and funeral benefits, rehabilitation services and all other benefits that persons with work-related disabilities (PWRDs) may avail under the Employees’ Compensation Program (ECP).

In 2017, the ECC passed and approved resolutions that expedites the provision of cash assistance and rehabilitation services to uniformed personnel who were wounded or killed-in-action.

These resolutions provide that without the need of waiting for the approval or release of EC disability benefits for the uniformed personnel who are wounded in action from the GSIS, the ECC will facilitate the enrollment of the uniformed personnel under the Katulong at Gabay sa Manggagawang may Kapansanan (KaGabay) Program.

Furthermore, one of the said resolutions provide for a cash assistance in an amount ranging from ten thousand pesos (P10,000.00) to fifteen thousand pesos (P15,000.00) as the ECC recognizes the need to provide a more valuable amount of assistance given the reduced earning capacity of the worker due to the work-related contingency.

With the passage of these resolutions, members of the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Army, the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology may now avail of the cash assistance program prior to the approval and release of their EC claims.

“The Employees’ Compensation Commission has always sought to address the needs of our persons with work-related disabilities (PWRDs). We understand that we need to continually enhance and expand our services and our processes to ensure that our services are delivered with utmost efficiency and expediency,” said ECC Executive Stella Zipagan-Banawis.

End./Michelle Basal