THE Employees Compensation Commission (ECC) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) assured financial assistance for all employees and frontline workers who suffered from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Dennis Lee, ECC–CAR head, explained financial assistance will be based on an employee’s membership with the Social Security System (SSS) or the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

“The ECC provides benefits to employees under the Employees Compensation Program (ECP) who've experienced accidents, became sick or died due to their line of work. These employees should be members of the Social Security System or the Government Social Insurance System having an employer-employee relationship, which includes our house helpers who are now considered as professionals duly registered with the SSS,” Lee said.

The ECP benefits provided to workers who contracted Covid-19 due to their employment or working environment include loss of income benefits, medical benefits and cash assistance, while a funeral benefit plus death benefits are given to the family of an employee who died because of the virus.

“Among the claims employees can benefit from are cash assistance amounting to P10,000 for Covid-19-related sickness, which is separate from their claims from ECP claims from SSS or GSIS. In the event of death due to Covid-19, an amount of P15,000 cash assistance benefit for their beneficiaries will be provided,” the ECC head stated.

Among those covered by the ECP include, but are not limited to, healthcare workers, protective service workers like the uniformed personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, cashiers and crews in grocery or stores providing essential products, production and food processing workers, janitors and maintenance workers, and truck drivers involved in the transport of essential goods.

Lee added ECC’s financial fund based on an actuarial study was recorded to be in perpetuity or has a long span of life in the amount of P60 billion for the whole country.