The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) have joined forces to uplift the lives of Filipino workers who have endured work-related injuries and disabilities.

Under a memorandum of agreement, a Workers Rehabilitation Center Complex (WRCC) would be established in Tanay, Rizal to serve as hub for medical rehabilitation and livelihood support while offering worker-friendly housing opportunities to Filipino workers.

“More than a formal partnership, this agreement is a tangible move toward a society that upholds compassion and inclusion, especially for workers injured in the line of duty. It’s a message that they are not forgotten and never will be,” DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar said in a news release on Tuesday.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma described the WRCC as a living embodiment of the agencies’ shared vision.

“It is the creation of a society that values human dignity, prioritizes healing and integration, and builds systems that give those workers who suffered work-related injuries and disabilities the second chance they rightfully deserve,” he said.

The Employees’ Compensation Commission, an attached agency of the DOLE, will fund the project through the state insurance fund.

The DHSUD will assist in drafting project specifications, bidding documents and procurement requirements.

The WRCC will rise on a 500,000-square-meter land in Barangay Cuyambay, to be developed using the design and build scheme under national procurement laws.

The Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the local government unit of Tanay would help ensure the completion of the project. (PNA)