President Duterte has demonstrated that he indeed has a "soft spot" for the poor.
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III had this today Tuesday, April 20 after learning of the P600-million financial assistance intended for Employees Compensation Commission (ECC) pensioners.
"This is great news for all EC pensioners who are further thrown into deep financial hardships made worse by the COVID (coronavirus disease) pandemic. This attests to the President’s soft spot for the poor and the vulnerable,” Bello said.
On Monday, the Chief Executive signed Administrative Order No. 39 directing the grant of a one-time financial assistance of P20,000 to all employees compensation pensioners upon the recommendation of the ECC.
The aid package is meant to benefit around 31,000 pensioners consisting of both private and public sector workers, Bello said.
The one-time "ayuda" will be granted to all ECC pensioners for permanent partial disability (PPD), permanent total disability (PTD), and survivorship through ECC's implementing agencies--Social Security System (SSS) for the private sector and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for the public sector--once the implementing rules and regulations or IRR have been issued.
According to ECC Executive Director Stella Zipagan-Banawis, all qualified pensioners need not apply to the GSIS or SSS, as it will be automatically granted to them in the same manner as their pension was processed.
Aside from the one-time financial assistance, the ECC has also issued strong policy responses geared toward improving the Employees' Compensation (EC) Program implementation despite the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This includes extending the payment deadline for remittance of EC contributions and expediting the processing of claims of workers for diseases acquired in the line of duty during pandemics and outbreaks.
The ECC also moved for the release of a three-month advance EC pension; interruption of the prescriptive period for the filing of EC claims during the pandemic, epidemic or public health emergency and other fortuitous events; and the grant of EC funeral benefit to the qualified beneficiaries of covered members who died of work-related causes sans proof of expenses.