DOLE: First rehab center for PWRDs to rise in Rizal

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday said the country's first rehabilitation center for persons with work-related disability (PWRDs) will soon rise in Rizal.

This happened following the signing of the memorandum of understanding among DOLE, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).

Labor Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez said the Workers' Rehabilitation Center Complex (WRCC) aims to provide PWRDs with renewed hope and opportunity to become active contributors to the economy and society.

The 50-hectare WRCC project of the Employees Compensation Commission (ECC) will include services such as medical rehabilitation, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, sensory therapy, work hardening, industrial rehabilitation, prosthetic and orthotics, neuro-robotics and cybernetics, vocational rehabilitation, reskilling, upskilling, and livelihood.

A hostel, a transportation hub, a sports arena, a dispensary, a worker's training center, a convention hall, a housing project under the DHSUD, an agritourism center, a pineapple plantation area, a botanical garden, and a commercial complex are also included in the plan.

The property is owned by the ECC, an agency attached to the DOLE, which is mandated to provide compensation and succor for PWRDs in the public and private sectors.