SARI-SARI STORE OWNER. Juvy Balundo poses with her ECC livelihood check and grocery items which she displayed for her sari-sari store business.
While happily posing in her sari-sari store with newly purchased grocery items and frozen products from the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC), Juvy Mira T. Balundo said, “Hindi ko inakala na nang dahil sa hindi kanais-nais na aksidente sa aking pinagtatrabahuhan, ay may matatanggap pala akong biyaya mula sa ECC.”
Balunto was granted with ECC starter kit worth ₱20,000.00 on 21 July 2020.
Juvy is a single mom and worked with Chiba Furniture, Ampayon, Butuan City, as leadman-operator. On 15 November 2019, while operating a machine, her right hand was accidentally hit by the machine blade that caused her injury. The said incident made her unable to work for almost a month.
Balunto remembered that she was given ECC IEC materials in one of the seminars organized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). She then filed an EC benefit with the SSS Butuan office. Considering that her injury was work-connected, she was granted EC temporary total disability by the SSS.
A few weeks after the incident, Balunto visited ECC-REU13 office to inquire about the ECC’s Katulong at Gabay sa Manggagawang may Kapansanan (KaGaBay) Program. From her visit, she learned that aside from the loss of income benefit she had received from ECC through the SSS she can also avail the ECC livelihood assistance.
She signified her interest to attend a training on Entrepreneurship which is a prerequisite for the ECC livelihood grant. The said training was conducted by the ECC-REU 13 in collaboration with DTI Agusan del Norte Field.
Balunto relayed her appreciation to the Employees’ Compensation Commission for extending help to her family, “Maraming salamat sa ECC.. sa inyong ibinigay na pangkabuhayan. Malaking tulong po ito sa aming mag-ina dahil single mom po ako. Pangangalagaan ko itong ibinigay ninyo sa akin para sa kinabukasan ng aking anak na kasalukuyang nasa kolehiyo na.” She added that, “sa ngayon ay ibubuhos ko ang aking oras at panahon sa pagpalago ng negosyong ipinagkaloob ng ECC at pag-aalaga ng aking anak.”
ECC Executive Director Stella Zipagan-Banawis said, “We are glad to know that we were able to help Balunto support her family especially her daughter. Helping workers who contracted work-related accidents is not only our mandate but our moral responsibility as well.”
Balunto is still eligible to avail a complementary livelihood kit from ECC amounting to ₱10,000.00 if she will able to sustain her business for at least one year as part and parcel of the benefits under the ECC’s KaGabay Program.
S. Mocorro – 13