After a long time of pain and dismay, Richard Estrella, can now play basketball, go to the market on his own, and fetch his children from school.

 

Estrella, a father of two who used to work as a company driver of Amethyl Enterprises, lost his right leg due to electrocution while he was cleaning the roof of their office.

 

“After the accident, I thought I will be paralyzed for life”, he said

 

The resulting injury from his accident, which happened after he was tasked by his employer to clean the roof of the office, is considered compensable under the Employees Compensation Program (ECP) since it was an order from his employer and took place within the company premises.

 

“I never expected that I could walk normally again,” Estrella said.

 

The ECC Regional Extension Unit in Butuan reached out to him after finding out from the Social Security System (SSS) that Estrella qualified for a permanent partial disability (PPD) benefit under the ECP. The ECC invited him to avail of benefits under the ECC’s Katulong at Gabay ng Manggagawang May Kapansanan (KaGabay).

 

For starters, Estrella underwent 12 sessions of physical therapy treatments last March 2014 before he was given a free leg prosthesis amounting to P75,000 on November 2014.

 

Aside from these, he will also be undergoing livelihood training in Northern Mindanao School of Fisheries in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte. He will be taking Meat Processing Training so that he will learn to make longganisa at home and eventually sell it in nearby schools.

 

“I am so thankful for all the the services ECC has given me and my family. Now I am enjoying life at its best inspite of what happened to me”, he added.

 

Richard Estrella, a living proof of ECC’s finest service to the Filipino people.

 

The ECP provides a package of benefits for public and private sector employees and their dependents in the events of work-connected contingencies such as sickness, injury, disability, or death. Its main components are prevention, compensation, and rehabilitation.

 

“We, however, emphasize on the importance of safety in the workplace as prevention is always better than compensation and rehabilitation. Prevention of workplace accidents and diseases should be of utmost concern as the health and safety of our workers is our primary consideration,” ECC Executive Director Stella Zipagan-Banawis.

 

End/rhev

With reports from Olga Virginia O. Demata, Information Officer II, ECC-REU Caraga