Bernard Takiang, a person with work-related disability, shows his ECC KaGabay check amounting to ₱20,000. The check was used to purchase grocery items as a starter kit for his sari-sari store business on 2 September 2021.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – “Salamat sa Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) sa dakong tabang sa akoa og sa akung pamilya, labi na gyod karon nga pandemiya nga naghatag kanako ug oportunidad nga maka negosyo ug dugang income kanako (Thanks to ECC for helping me and my family, especially during this pandemic as they gave me on opportunity to start a business and it surely adds to my income),” Takiang said for the benefits he received under the EC Program.

Takiang is a warehouseman at Nutrimax Fresh Baked Inc. located in Misamis Oriental. In February 2020, Takiang figured in an accident while assisting in the dumping of sugar. This resulted to a head injury which caused traumatic hemorrhage and a fractured skull.

With the assistance of the ECC Northern Mindanao and Takiang’s employer, he was able to receive EC Program benefits. He was granted an EC Sickness benefit which was approved in March 2020 by the Social Security System (SSS) Cagayan de Oro branch. He also filed for the EC cash assistance at ECC Northern Mindanao and received ₱10,000.00 in July 2020.

Takiang also availed the livelihood training under the ECC Katulong at Gabay sa Manggagawang may Kapansanan (KaGabay) Program. He was among the twelve (12) program beneficiaries who were able to undergo a livelihood seminar in March 2021 in Cagayan de Oro City. Even on a skeletal workforce due to the pandemic, ECC continued its services to its clients, and Takiang finally received a ₱20,000.00 worth of grocery items as a starter kit for his sari-sari store business on September 2, 2021.

The ECC KaGabay program is special economic assistance program for PWRDs. The program provides physical or occupational therapy services to PWRDs including prosthesis and assistive devices, skills training for re-employment or entrepreneurship seminars to enable the PWRD to set-up home-based business.

 

S. Obice – REU10