A restaurant supervisor in Baguio City recently received benefits from the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) for her work-related stroke.

Jessa Tagalog handled a whole floor and managed a group of about 20 waiters during her shift. She also had been rotating between day and night shifts throughout the length of her employment which usually ran for 8 to 10 hours of shift time.

Oftentimes her work was stressful and also tiring especially during peak hours when the restaurant was full. She worked with the said restaurant for more than five years and it has been her main source of income to support her three children since she is a single mother. During one of her shifts, she felt numb and experience body weakness. She was immediately brought to the hospital and was diagnosed to have suffered a stroke. This affected the normal movements of her arms, hands, and even lower limbs. With her condition, she wasn’t able to return to her work. Since then, she has been making ends meet by doing online selling.

Through the Social Security System (SSS), Tagalog was able to learn about the ECC. She filed an EC claim and the claim was approved by the SSS. Because she is considered a Person with Work-Related Disability (PWRD), ECC provided Tagalog with free occupational and physical therapy at the Saint Louis University Sacred Heart Hospital in Baguio City. During the course of her therapy, her attending doctor noticed that she had difficulty in supporting her body due to her weakened ankle resulting from her stroke. Thus, ECC provided Tagalog with a foot brace to supplement her therapy.

To provide her a more stable income, ECC Regional Extension Unit (REU) Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) is now working side by side with Tagalog to determine the livelihood or skills training she would take that will best fit her current condition. An ECC livelihood starter kit worth ₱20,000.00 is in store for Tagalog once she completed her livelihood training. This gives her hope that through the ECC’s support she will have a better life ahead.

D. Lee – REU CAR