The ECC grants livelihood assistance to Eduardo Alcantara Jr. and Richard Hidalgo from Agoo and Naguilian in La Union, respectively, who sustained injuries at work. Using the assistance, Alcantara decides to put up a sari-sari store while Hidalgo prefers a rice retailing business. (Photo from ECC)
The administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has initiated the establishment of the landmark Workers Rehabilitation Center Complex. It is set to become the country’s first rehabilitation center for the comprehensive disability management and rehabilitation of workers stricken at work, or disabled by workplace mishaps. These workers are classified as persons with work-related disability (PWRDs). The program includes those in the public and private sectors.
At the “Labor Day with the President” program in Malacañang last May 1, Marcos Jr. said, “This year’s Labor Day, we also mark another milestone to realize the long-envisioned and awaited Workers Rehabilitation Center.”
He added, “This 50-hectare property of the Employees’ Compensation Commission in Tanay will serve as a sanctuary and a place of rehabilitation for our workers and soldiers who suffer from work-related injuries.”
Officially called Workers Rehabilitation Center Complex (WRCC), the facility which will rise in Barangay Cuyambay, Tanay, Rizal, will feature world-class services for the physical restoration and rehabilitation of workers who suffered from work-connected disabilities.
The WRCC’s various services include medical rehabilitation, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, sensory therapy, work hardening, industrial rehabilitation, prosthetic and orthotics, neuro-robotics and cybernetics, vocational rehabilitation, reskilling, upskilling, and livelihood.
It will also have a hostel, a transportation hub, a sports arena, a dispensary, a worker’s training center, a convention hall, an agritourism center, a pineapple plantation area, a botanical garden, a commercial complex, and a housing project under the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).
With the guidance of President Marcos Jr., a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish the WRCC was signed by Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia Loyzaga, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr., Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Acuzar, and Tanay Mayor Rafael A. Tanjuatco.
Marcos gives strong support for PWRDs
The comprehensive support for PWRDs – and their restoration and rehabilitation – first received a boost during the administration of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.. The elder Marcos signed on December 27, 1974, Presidential Decree 626, which created the ECC and the State Insurance Fund.
With strong presidential backing, the ECC, an agency attached to the DOLE, has consistently supported the PWRDs, primarily through the “Katulong at Gabay sa Manggagawang may Kapansanan” or KaGabay Program.
In its 2024 Accomplishment Report, the ECC highlighted the following:
-ECC continued to provide rehabilitation programs such as free physical, psychosocial, and occupational therapy, provision of prosthesis and other rehabilitation appliances, enrollment of PWRDs in entrepreneurship programs, distribution of livelihood starter kits worth ₱20,000, and an additional ₱10,000 complementary kit.
-250 PWRDs received physical and occupational therapy (PT/OT) services. Of this, 58 PWRDs were given prosthesis or assistive devices. Aside from the free therapy sessions, ECC also provided the PWRDs with transportation and meal allowances for PT/OT sessions.
-Enrollment of 303 PWRDs in livelihood skills training
-69 EC complementary kits were awarded to PWRDs who sustained their previously provided EC livelihood starter kits.
-Meanwhile, the ECC created the Return-to-Work Assistance Program (RTWAP) on February 28, 2023. This program is a more comprehensive KaGabay Program that lessens the negative effects of injuries or impairments on workers. They are provided the chance to return to safe and productive work activities as soon as medically practicable, or after their maximal medical recovery.
-Since the RTWAP was launched, 113 PWRDs returned to the economic mainstream as productive and active citizens.
In its October 2024 Report, the ECC also said that 545 PWRDs were trained on vocational skills and entrepreneurship; the training cost amounted to ₱7.929 million. Other highlights include livelihood grants for variety stores and rice-retailing business.
Last May 23-24, the KaGabay Program also awarded ₱20,000 livelihood assistance each to Eduardo Alcantara Jr. and Richard Hidalgo from Agoo and Naguilian in La Union, respectively, who sustained injuries at work.
Alcantara, 34, had an amputation on his right thumb after a machine had cut off his finger while working in November 2023. Hidalgo, 47, a seafarer, suffered a back injury due to a falling incident while onboard a ship in February 2023.
Alcantara, who used the ECC’s livelihood assistance to put up a variety store, said, “This assistance from ECC is a lifeline for my family and me.”
Meanwhile, Hidalgo used his grant to start a rice-retailing business. He said, “It gives me hope and a chance to rebuild my life despite the challenges I faced.” They were also provided with assistive devices like orthoses.
On April 29, the ECC also awarded a ₱20,000 livelihood starter kit for a poultry business to 51-year-old Edwin Acosta of Amulong, Cagayan. Acosta, a collector at Cagayan Electric Cooperative (CAGELCO). He had earlier figured in a vehicular accident while returning home from work.
On February 28, twelve PWRDs were also granted benefits and services and underwent ECC’s Entrepreneurial Development Training and Financial Awareness Seminar.
Arvin Mejica, Ernesto Canonoy, Jay Marlo Villanueva, Jelly Colandog, Emnacir Baldoza, Exequiel Eneco, Teofilo Tumarong, Louie Uyanguren, Felisard Serondo, Angelito Galleto, Marco Ronaldo Millares, and Arnel Belandres suffered physical disabilities due to mishaps at work.
Beneficiary Millares, of Mindanao, said, “We are no longer the same after we encountered an accident at work. Our earning capacity has been adversely affected by it. Thankfully, the ECC has presented us with the hope to regain our economic viability through the KaGabay Program.”
On June 10, two PWRDs received ₱90,500 worth of prostheses from ECC. Romel Araquil, a security guard at an agribusiness farm in General Santos City, suffered an accident in December 2022 as he was closing the roll-up door of a new building. It led to the amputation of his left wrist. Julius Jay Miguel, on the other hand, worked as a warehouse helper in a canning company in General Santos City. In July 2023, while on duty, he slipped and accidentally shoved his hand into a blower fan, which resulted in the amputation of his right ring finger.
Araquil received a below-elbow prosthesis amounting to ₱62,500, while Miguel received a silicone finger prosthesis amounting to ₱28,000. Both workers underwent free physical therapy sessions.
“Ako po ay nagpapasalamat sa mga natanggap kong tulong mula sa ECC tulad ng physical therapy. Malaking tulong po ito sa akin para bumalik sa normal ang aking pagkilos. Nagpapasalamat din ako sa naibigay na tulong pangkabuhayan na hanggang ngayon ay aking napapakinabangan. Ang natanggap kong complementary kit ay ilalaan ko sa negosyong dry goods bukod sa naumpisahan kong sari-sari store. Patuloy po sanang makatulong ang ECC sa mga tulad kong PWRDs,” Araquil said.
Way To Go
“Our goal is to ensure that PWRDs receive the support they need to lead productive lives despite their disabilities,” said ECC Executive Director Kaima Via Velasquez, stressing that ECC, aligned with the thrust of the Marcos Jr. administration, facilitates the integration of PWRDs into the economic mainstream.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. highlighted the ECC’s importance in his message for the 2023 Accomplishment Report of the ECC. “It is a vital institution established during the time of my father, President Ferdinand E. Marcos. It holds a special place in my heart and in our nation’s history as it serves as a pillar of support for our dedicated workers.”
“With the core mission of advocating for the rights and welfare of the labor force, the ECC ensures that our workers receive the care and compensation they rightfully deserve in the event of work-related contingencies,” the President added.
