Hontiveros wants COVID-19 be declared an ‘occupational disease’

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Employees Compensation Commission (ECC) to declare COVID-19 as an occupational disease to allow workers who will contract the disease can avail of insurance and other benefits.

“Workplaces and mass transportation are the new ‘hotspots’ of virus transmission. Dapat nang aksyunan ng gobyerno ang panawagan na gawing ‘occupational disease’ ang COVID-19 to ensure that the workers who will contract the disease while at work or in transit will be compensated under the national policy for employment injury benefits,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

(The government should already act on the call to make COVID-19 an 'occupational disease' to ensure that the workers who will contract the disease while at work or in transit will be compensated under the national policy for employment injury benefits.)

According to the senator, the addition of COVID-19 on the list of work-related diseases will entitle workers who will contract it to medical benefits, compensation for lost income, and even funeral services if the employee dies from the disease.

This becomes more essential now, she added, especially with the rising cases of COVID-19 in the country.

“Pinabalik ang manggagawa sa trabaho pero kulang na kulang ang pag-aalagang ibinibigay ng gobyerno," she said.

(Workers were asked to go back to their workplaces despite insufficient assistance from the government.)

“Huwag natin silang tratuhing parang imortal. Hindi curfew o checkpoints ang kailangang kundi garantisadong proteksyon sakaling mahagip o tamaan sila ng virus,” she added.

(Let's not treat them as immortals. They don't need curfews or checkpoints but guaranteed protection in case they contract the disease.)

Hontiveros also said that even if there is no infection at the workplace, workers may still contract COVID-19 while travelling to their workplaces. This, she said, should also be compensable.

“Hindi na dapat maging burden pa ng empleyado na patunayang nakuha niya ang virus sa kanyang trabaho. Dahil ang mismong pag-byahe ng mga manggagawa mula sa bahay papasok ng trabaho sakay ng mga pampublikong sasakyan ay work-related sacrifice na ginagawa na ng mga manggagawa,” she said.

(The employee should not be burden anymore to prove that he or she contracted the virus at the workplace, because the travel itself from home to the workplace through public transportation is already a work-related sacrifice of the employees.)

“Hindi pa huli ang lahat para ituwid ang pagkakamali. Huwag lang puro lip service ang ‘excellent’ performance. Kung magpapatuloy ito, itinutulak lang ang mga manggagawa sa bingit ng walang-katapusang pangamba, sakripisyo at pagkagutom,” she added.

(It's not too late to fix this. The supposed 'excellent' performance on pandemic response should not be just a lip service. If we continue this, we are just pushing workers to the edge of a never-ending fear, sacrifice, and hunger.)

PhilHealth coverage

Hontiveros has filed Senate Bill 1441 or the "Balik Trabahong Ligtas Act" which seeks to provide mandatory PhilHealth coverage to all workers who would be required to report for work amid the health crisis.

Under the proposed measure, all workers including those contractual, contract of service, probationary, and job order shall be entitled to full payment of medical bills in case they contract COVID-19.

A “flexible sick leave” shall also be provided to workers who would be infected, regardless if they have previously used up all their sick leaves.

On Tuesday, the Philippines' tally of active COVID-19 cases hit 86,200, this year’s highest, after 5,867 new infections are recorded.  — Erwin Colcol/RSJ, GMA News