Butuan City – Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC), thru its Regional Extension Unit 13 awarded Ceriaco S. Tello with arm prosthesis worth P160, 000 on November 14, 2019.

Tello was a former hot press machine operator at Butuan Esperanza Corporation in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte. On 13 February 2013, while feeding plywood to the hot press machine, his right arm was swallowed by the machine which caused its amputation.

On top of the prosthesis received by Tello, he also received a livelihood starter kit amounting to P20, 000 on June 11, 2019 under ECC’s Katulong at Gaby sa Manggagawang may Kapansanan (KaGabay) Program. He used the money to put up a Bigasan or a rice retailing business.

Tello said he is grateful for all of ECC’s help in his road to recovery as well as for the bigasan business which is a big help to his family’s income. And though he is yet to get used to having an artificial arm, he said the bigasan motivates and inspires him to focus more in life.

“Nagpapasalamat talaga ako kay Executive Director Stella Zipagan Banawis at sa ECC sa lahat ng ibinigay niyong tulong—[gamot, assistive device, trainings at seminar at financial assistance] para makapagsimula ako ng bagong negosyo at bagong buhay,” said Tello.

Banawis extended her support to Ceriaco saying, “Our goal here in ECC is not just to help our PWRDs with financial assistance, but also to assist them with all the trainings they need for them to get back to the economic mainstream.”

Reporting by Sandee Angeli V. Mocorro Information Officer II; Editing by Carlo A. Katigbak