Press Release
April 30, 2021

Pangilinan lauds inclusion of Covid among compensable work-related disease

"Ngayong Araw ng Paggawa, nagpapasalamat at tinatanghal natin ang mga nagpapatakbo ng bayan natin sa gitna ng pandemya: medical front-liners, farmers and fisherfolk, food service workers, police, work-from-home staff, entertainers, at marami pang manggagawa.

Kinikilala natin ang ating mga OFW na patuloy na sinusuong ang araw-araw sa ibang bayan para sa kanilang pamilya.

Dahil sa pinakamatinding krisis pangkalusugan at pang-ekonomiya na kinakaharap natin, mas napansin natin kung gaano kahalaga ang papel ng mga manggagawang madalas ay hindi natin kita ang kanilang araw-araw na pagpapawis at sakripisyo.

Ang tamang pagbigay-pugay sa kanila ay ang tratuhin silang may dignidad, bigyan ng disenteng sweldo, siguraduhing may proteksyon sa lugar na pinagtatrabahunan, at ibsan ang epekto ng kawalang-trabaho.

Pinupuri rin natin ang pasya ng Employees' Compensation Commission (ECC) na isama ang Covid-19 sa listahan ng mga sakit na may kinalaman sa trabaho. Sana ay ma-institutionalize na ito, mabawasan pa ang red tape nang di na pipila nang mahaba o mahihirapan pa para lang makuha ang kanilang benepisyo ng atin mga manggagawa na nasa unahan sa pila ng trabaho.

Araw-araw na nagtatrabaho ang ating mga manggagawa, nilalagay ang sariling buhay sa panganib para tayong lahat ay mapanatili sa mga tahanan at ligtas. Kailangan nila ng ating proteksyon.

Dapat nating fine-flex ang dignidad ng paggawa ng ating mga Pilipinong manggagawa hindi lang sa salita kundi sa gawa, hindi lang isang beses isang taon kundi araw-araw, may pandemya man o wala."

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"This Labor Day, let's thank and honor all those who have kept our country running this year amid the coronavirus pandemic--medical frontliners, teachers, delivery drivers, security guards, food service workers, police, work-from-home staff, entertainers, and many more workers.

We recognize our overseas Filipino workers, who continue to brave the daily grind abroad for their families.

With what probably is the most challenging health and economic crisis upon us, we have become more cognizant of the essential roles of our workers, whose daily toil and sacrifices are often unseen.

The pathway to giving back is treating our workers with dignity, giving them decent wage, ensuring their protection in the workplace and alleviating the impacts of unemployment.

We laud the recent decision of the Employees' Compensation Commission to add Covid-19 in its list of occupational and work-related diseases. We hope this will be soon institutionalized in the employees' compensation system, with streamlined processes, so that our workers who will fall ill in the line of duty will not have a hard time claiming their benefits.

Our workers show up every day and put their lives at risk so that everyone else could stay home and be safe. They deserve the protection they need.

We should honor the dignity of labor of our Filipino workers not only in words but in deeds, not only once a year, but every day, pandemic or not."

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