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[av_heading heading=’Injured Ilonggo seaman gets help from gov’t’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”][/av_heading]
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February 2, 2018
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ILOILO City – A 45-year-old injured seaman from the municipality of Santa Barbara, Iloilo formerly in-charged with ship maintenance availed himself of P47,928.45 worth of benefits under the Employees’ Compensation Program of the government.
The seaman incurred a work-related lower back injury. He met an accident in 2005 while lifting several drums of Bitumen weighing between 15 kg to 18 kg each.
Invoking the seaman’s right to privacy, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) declined to identify him but revealed that for three weeks he suffered pain on his lower back and had taken medication to minimize it.
The seaman visited a medical doctor in Texas, USA in 2006 where he was advised to have some rest for 15 days. He underwent another check-up in Holland where he was declared unfit to work.
He returned to the country on Jan. 26, 2016 and one month after, he underwent a spinal surgery at the Manila Medical Center.
Days after his first operation, the seaman was advised to undergo a second surgery but he refused due to the small chance of bringing him back to his normal condition. He thus settled for therapies as one option to recover from such injury.
The seaman underwent a series of therapy sessions at the West Visayas State University Medical Center, one of the partner hospitals of DOLE’s Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) where he learned about the government’s Employees’ Compensation Program (ECP).
The ECP is a program of the ECC, an attached agency of DOLE, which provides a package of benefits to private and public workers in the event of work-related sickness, injury or death.
Upon learning of the seaman’s case, the ECC Regional Officer in Iloilo City visited and enrolled the seaman for free physical therapy sessions, and encouraged him to attend a livelihood training under the Katulong at Gabay sa Manggagawang may Kapansanan (KaGabay) Program.
Despite his situation, the seaman still hopes to recover from his injury to continue providing for the needs of his family.
“The ECC extends a helping hand to persons with work-related disability. We do not only provide income support but also rehabilitation benefits which will uplift the life of PWRDs and return back their confidence to live a normal life again,” said Executive Director Stella Banawis.
This seaman was just one of the 30 injured overseas Filipino and local workers in Western Visayas who have availed themselves of the benefits from the ECC due to work-related accidents.
“We assure prompt and accessible provision of these benefits through our Regional Extension Units and through our quality-assured partner hospitals,” said Banawis./PN
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