On the 16th of September, ECOP held its 44th Members’ General Meeting with the theme “Payment of Retirement and Other COVID-19 Related Benefits” through the online platform Zoom. Attended by over 400 participants, the 44th MGM was a part of ECOP’s continued efforts to provide relevant and timely programs to help members navigate through the challenges of the global health crisis.
ECOP President Mr. Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Jr. opened the event by thanking attendees for their continued commitment and support to ECOP amidst the ongoing crisis. He also assured that ECOP continues to strive to fulfill its role as the voice of Filipino employers despite the continually mounting challenges of the pandemic.
For the first topic of the afternoon, Atty. Ramon A. Saura III, Mediator-Arbiter for DOLE’s Bureau of Labor Relations, spoke about DOLE Labor Advisories No. 17 & 17-A and No. 6. He discussed the coverage and overlying principles of the said guidelines, and provided a number of examples to help participants further understand the details of the advisories.
Chief Operating Officer of E.M. Zalamea Actuarial Services, Inc., Mr. Raymund Benedict Zalamea, then discussed the impact of COVID-19 to retirement funds. Mr. Zalamea explained how to set up a retirement plan, how it would benefit an individual, and what to expect from the process.
Finally, Mr. Senen Quizon, a Tax Corporate Services Principal from Deloitte and Accredited Tax Practitioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, presented the taxation of COVID-related employee benefits and how the different phases of quarantine measures since the first quarter of the year has affected the response of employers to employee assistance and benefits.
At the event, MGM sponsor Enchanted Kingdom also announced that their park will reopen their gates soon following strict health protocols and a pre-registration basis for attendees. Representative of EK, Mr. Franco Cacho, excitedly announced that ECOP members are all entitled to a 25% discount at the park (with the presenting of a valid company ID to confirm their membership status).
To formally close the 44th MGM, ECOP Board Governor-in-charge of Membership, Mr. Federico Marquez, Jr., thanked participants for their valuable time and their continued support of ECOP’s programs and activities and expressed his hope to continue seeing them in the future.
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