Tuguegarao City, Cagayan – Three employees of the Universal Robina Corporation (URC) are the recent beneficiaries of free physical therapy sessions facilitated through the Katulong at Gabay sa Manggagawang may Kapansanan or KAGABAY Program under the Employees’ Compensation Program (ECP).

Venancio Corsino, Remandi Datul and Antonio Cabauatan met accidents within the course of their employment. Upon the approval of their EC disability benefit, they were granted free physical and occupational therapy and other related rehabilitation services at Dr. Domingo S. De Leon General Hospital.

They were also provided with transportation and meal allowance.

Mr. Antonio Cabauatan, one of the beneficiaries said, “These rehabilitation services give us hope and understanding that disability doesn’t mean inability and therefore giving us back our loss self confidence.”

ECC Executive Director Stella Zipagan-Banawis said, “ECP is a good program benefiting the economic workforce in cases they met work – connected contingencies. It is a saddened fact that when the breadwinner of the family is physically incapable, the whole family stability is affected specially their financial state. Thus, it is a good way that we have ECP and through it we are able to help a lot of persons with work-related disabilities (PWRDs) to become even more competitive members of the society.”

“We would also like to emphasize that prevention of workplace accidents and diseases is better than compensation and rehabilitation. It should be the topmost priority of everyone, employees and employers, Banawis added.”