The Employees’ Compensation Commission recently received reports that there are unscrupulous people in Region 1 using the name of the ECC to execute their fraudulent scheme.
A victim of the said scammer went to the ECC office to report about the said rip-off. A certain May Bernadette Cortez from Badoc, Ilocos Norte sends letters to her victims with a signatory named Arnold B. Magtalong as the alleged ECC Board Secretary.
The letter informed the target victims that they passed the interview with the Chairman of the International Board of Directors of the ECC, Atty. Arnold Ford held in Rio Grande Hotel in San Fernando, La Union on 24 January 2017.
The victims were also informed that they are entitled to the EC benefits and to receive said benefits, they need to attend the EC seminars, meeting and conventions.
Allegedly, Cortez will ask the victims to authorize her to represent the victims to attend the seminar, meeting and conference. Cortez then will ask money from the victims in exchange of her representation and to follow-up the benefits they will receive from the ECC.
ECC Executive Director Stella Zipagan-Banawis refutes that the ECC is sending letters to beneficiaries and requiring them to attend seminar, meeting and conventions.
“Beneficiaries are not required to attend ECP seminars just to receive benefits. As long as there is an employer-employee relationship and the sickness, injury or death is work-related, the employee shall receive EC benefits,” Banawis explained.
The ECC does not conduct interview with the claimants to ascertain if they are entitled to EC benefits. Claimants must file their EC claim directly with the Social Security System or Government Service Insurance System. The ECC, on the other hand, reviews the decision of the SSS or the GSIS on appeal.
The ECC regularly conducts free ECP advocacy seminars nationwide for employers and workers, particularly human resource officers and labor and union representatives. The schedules of ECP advocacy and in-house seminars are regularly announced in the ECC website and FB Page.
Banawis also clarified that the ECC has no officials named Arnold B. Magtalong, Atty. Arnold Ford, Leni Del Rosario, Luisa Bostamante, Cecilia B. Tabanda, Luiz B. Arcangel, Rowel B. Lorenzo, Eduardo M. Salazar, and Yolanda D. Escobar, and Ederlina P. Luz.
“Let us all be wary when transacting with people. It is better to be careful than be sorry later on. Please verify the names in our website and it is better to call our offices. You can also contact us through our FB Page,” Banawis added.
For more information about the ECC and the ECC directory, you can always check the ECC website at www.ecc.gov.ph and ECC FB Page at www.facebook.com/ecc.official.
End/lpg
15 Feb 2017