The Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) has approved administrative measures to strengthen its operations, including revisions to the agency’s 2026 Annual Procurement Plan, the procurement of outsourced personnel, and expansion of public information efforts through “teleradyo” or television and radio programming.
A meeting on Thursday presided over by Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary and ECC chairperson Francis Tolentino tackled measures to strengthen workers’ compensation services and occupational safety and health initiatives.
The commission likewise deliberated on policy, administrative, and operational matters that support the implementation and delivery of services to workers who suffer work-related sickness, injury, disability, or death.
Moreover, discussed were recommendations to expand the list of work-related illnesses, including some specific types of cancer, that are eligible for compensation to ensure that more affected workers receive the support they need.
“I join the advocacy to expand the coverage, specifically because there is an ILO (International Labor Organization) Convention, which is ILO Convention No. 162, which has yet to be ratified, or the Asbestos Convention,” Tolentino said.
The meeting also covered updates on the establishment of the Workers’ Rehabilitation Center Complex (WRCC), a 50-hectare central hub for the ECC’s Disability Management – Return-To-Work Assistance Program, as well as ASEAN Occupational Safety and Health Network activities, capability-building on emergency rescue operations and workplace mental health, and preparations for the 14th Gawad Kaligtasan at Kalusugan.
Meanwhile, the members will submit additional roadmaps and information on the matters discussed during the meeting.
The commission is set to convene again next month to continue its discussions and review the submissions.
The ECC, an attached agency of the DOLE that administers the Employees’ Compensation Program, provides compensation and related benefits to workers who have suffered work-related sickness, injury, or disability, as well as death benefits to their qualified dependents. (PNA)
