The Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) is stepping up its efforts to increase public awareness of the EC Program (ECP) and other services through expanded initiatives on information dissemination around the country.

The ECC, through its Information and Public Assistance Division (IPAD), seeks to broaden its reach and increase the agency’s presence in multimedia across numerous platforms in order to achieve its goal of empowering more workers through continual education on their rights and benefits under the EC Program.

According to ECC OIC-Executive Director Jose Maria Batino, it is essential that increased campaigns and creative projects be launched to raise public awareness of the ECC in order to provide adequate benefits and responsive services to Filipino workers.

“Our goal is to promptly offer workers and their families sufficient benefits, rehabilitation, and other relevant services in the case of a work-related accident, injury, illness, or death. We want to empower the public with the knowledge they need about the ECP and engage them more deeply to get their feedback on how to best improve our programs and services,” added Director Batino.

Recognizing the need of developing strategic and innovative projects to realize its goal and achieve its vision, the Commission uses accessible platforms such as radio, social media, and face-to-face lectures to enhance its efforts and explore all conceivable methods of reaching its stakeholders.

Starting on March 4, the #ECCWorkRelated sa SOS will air on DZRH, with ECC OIC-Executive Director José Maria Batino and anchor Cesar Chavez at the helm. The radio program will begin with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma as the first resource person. It will air every Saturday at 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. thru DZRH Radio, DZRH News Television, Facebook, YouTube, and www.dzrh.com.ph.

The ECC will also enhance its EC Program orientation this year with advocacy seminars, beginning in Pampanga and aimed at students and staff of the province’s technical and vocational institutions. The advocacy seminar, which is being held in collaboration with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), seeks to provide technical and vocational school students and staff with pertinent information about their rights, privileges, and benefits under the EC Program as part of the nation’s effort to cultivate a workforce of better-informed citizens.

Furthermore, the ECC, in collaboration with the 15 regional extension units, continues to hold in-house and on-site lectures, combining traditional face-to-face seminars and webinars. Together with EC Program orientation, national and regional TV appearances, and radio guestings are made on a regular basis.

The ECC also makes use of current technologies, increasing its online engagement on Facebook, Viber, and its website through regular updates. With new breakthroughs in technology and new methods in communication, ECC has intensified its initiative with the EC Online Public Assistance (EC O-PA), which began in 2022 to provide the public with another route to express their inquiries and concerns in addition to the existing platforms.

The ECC is aware that more work must be done to raise awareness of the EC Program and that its current activities must be expanded. “We continue to double our efforts and tap all feasible resources to increase the public’s engagement and awareness about the ECC and the EC Program. It is our duty to guarantee that we provide enough support to our Filipino workers, not only in terms of benefits but also in terms of information to capacitate and empower them as citizens of our nation,” Batino said.

 

D. Lacson – REU3