The Social Security System (SSS) lauded the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) for providing a safety net to Filipino workers facing work-related contingencies over the past five decades, as the agency marked its 50th anniversary.
SSS president and chief executive Robert Joseph Montes De Claro said the SSS acknowledged the ECC’s achievements.
De Claro said the SSS disbursed P39.1 billion in employee compensation (EC) benefits to 2.7 million beneficiaries from 1975 to 2024.
“These benefits have provided financial relief to workers who suffered work-related injuries or illnesses, helping them cover medical expenses, replace lost income, and rehabilitate their lives,” De Claro said.
Long-term benefits accounted for P31.6 billion, or 81 percent of the total, including nearly P27 billion in EC death benefits to about 42,000 claimants and P5.1 billion in EC disability benefits to over 78,000 workers.
Short-term benefits totaled P7.5 billion, or 19 percent. EC sickness benefits were P5.3 billion, benefiting nearly two million workers, and medical service benefits were P1.7 billion, benefiting over 700,000 workers.
Other short-term benefits included P284 million in EC funeral benefits to about 28,000 beneficiaries and over P85 million in rehabilitation service benefits to more than 15,000 workers.
“The SSS, as a key partner in the administration of the Employees’ Compensation (EC) Program, recognizes ECC’s commitment to providing assistance to workers and their families in times of work-related sickness, injury, or death,” De Claro said.
“We congratulate ECC on reaching this milestone and wish the agency, its officials and employees the best as we strive to provide social security protection to Filipino workers,” he said.
He said that since its establishment in 1975, the ECC has become a pillar of Philippine social security, refining its policies to support workers facing work-related issues.
“ECC’s impact goes beyond financial assistance. The agency has also played a role in raising awareness on workplace safety and health,” he said.
The ECC was established on March 17, 1975, under Presidential Decree No. 626, signed by then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. It implements the Employees’ Compensation Program (ECP), which provides tax-exempt income, medical and other benefits to employees and their dependents in cases of work-related illness, injury or death.
The State Insurance Fund (SIF), funded by employers’ contributions, is administered by the SSS for private-sector and informal-economy workers, and by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for government employees.