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Soldiers killed, hurt in Eastern Samar clash to get cash aid

By Gerico Sabalza

December 9, 2019, 4:00 pm

<p><strong>PRESIDENTIAL VISIT.</strong> President Rodrigo Duterte visits one of the soldiers wounded in a recent clash in Borongan City, Eastern Samar at the Divine Word Hospital in Tacloban City on Nov. 15, 2019. Aside from other agencies, the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) will extend financial aid to the families’ soldiers killed and wounded in the encounter with the New People’s Army last November 11. <em>(Presidential photo)</em></p>

PRESIDENTIAL VISIT. President Rodrigo Duterte visits one of the soldiers wounded in a recent clash in Borongan City, Eastern Samar at the Divine Word Hospital in Tacloban City on Nov. 15, 2019. Aside from other agencies, the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) will extend financial aid to the families’ soldiers killed and wounded in the encounter with the New People’s Army last November 11. (Presidential photo)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) will extend financial aid to the families of soldiers killed and wounded in the recent encounters with the New People’s Army in Borongan, Eastern Samar.

Under ECC’s quick response program, families of killed soldiers will get PHP15,000 each while each of the 24 wounded-in-action soldiers is entitled to PHP10,000 cash aid.

ECC Eastern Visayas officer-in-charge Michelle Basal said this is on top of the medical, death and funeral benefits of those killed-in-action and the rehabilitation services to the wounded.

“We immediately coordinated with the Philippine Army for us to provide the initial interventions for them. Our personnel visited them at the Divine Word Hospital and in Camp Lukban station hospital in Catbalogan City to give them groceries and to talk to them what form of assistance we could provide,” Basal said in an interview Monday.

The fatalities include Sgt. Rex Jadulco, Cpl. Ronald Go, Cpl. Limar Banug, Private First-Class Kent Lloyd Agullo, Private Charlie Del Rosario, and Private First Class Junmar Buranday.

The Commission will also provide all necessary rehabilitation services to the 24 wounded soldiers including all the hospital expenses plus PHP500 meal and travel allowance every time they have hospital appointments. This is only applicable in five hospitals regionwide accredited by ECC.

“What we want to do is to help them recover from the contingency and bring back their lost hope. Some of them are traumatized that is why we also conducted psycho-social counseling,” the officer-in-charge said.

The ECC is a government agency mandated by law to provide Filipino workers meaningful and appropriate compensation, and comprehensive package of services and benefits in work-related contingencies.

The ECC aid is on top of other government assistance to be received by the killed and injured soldiers from other agencies. (PNA)

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