Source: http://lawlibrary.chanrobles.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83169:57140&catid=1584&Itemid=566
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 16:29:23+00:00

Document:
G.R. No. 195598, June 25, 2014 - TEEKAY SHIPPING PHILIPPINES, INC., TEEKAY SHIPPING LIMITED AND ALEX VERCHEZ, Petitioners, v. EXEQUIEL O. JARIN, Respondent.
TEEKAY SHIPPING PHILIPPINES, INC., TEEKAY SHIPPING LIMITED AND ALEX VERCHEZ, Petitioners, v. EXEQUIEL O. JARIN, Respondent.
This is an appeal under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court filed by Teekay Shipping Philippines, Inc. (Teekay Phils.), Teekay Shipping Limited (Teekay Ltd.), and Alex Verchez (Verchez) (petitioners) assailing the Decision1 dated November 26, 2010 and Resolution2 dated February 9, 2011 of the Court of Appeals (CA) in CA-G.R. SP. No. 114882 awarding permanent disability benefits and sickness allowance in favor of Exequiel O. Jarin (Jarin).
Teekay Phils. is a domestic corporation engaged in the recruitment of maritime personnel for its foreign principal, Teekay Ltd. Verchez is the president of Teekay Phils.
After passing the standard Pre-Employment Medical Examination, the petitioners hired Jarin as Chief Cook on July 6, 2006 for a period of eight months with a basic monthly salary of US$722.40.3 Jarin was deployed on July 9, 2006 onboard M.T. Erik Spirit, a crude oil tanker.
During the third week of February 2007, M.T. Erik Spirit was in Canada when Jarin complained of swelling in the joints of his two elbows. Jarin was taken to a Canadian hospital where he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Steroid-based medications were administered to him and they caused him the side effects of puffiness of the face and edema.4 Despite of this, however, Jarin was able to complete his employment contract. He was repatriated on March 24, 2007.
In the same report, Dr. Dacanay noted that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is almost always the result of cigarette smoking to which Jarin admitted to have been engaged in since he was in high school with a daily consumption rate of 10 sticks. Jarin’s pulmonary status was declared stable and his still persisting joint pains was assessed with interim disability grading of Grade 11 (disturbance of the normal carrying angle or weakness of arm or forearm due to deformity or moderate atrophy of muscles).
Without any knowledge of Dr. Balbon’s recommendation, Jarin received a call on September 10, 2007 from Teekay Phils. directing him to report at Pandiman Phils., Inc. (Pandiman) at Intramuros, Manila.
On the following day, Jarin went to Pandiman where he was informed that his illness is not work-related and that Teekay Phils. stopped paying for his medical treatments. Jarin asked for a medical report supporting such conclusion but he was not furnished any.
Subsequently, Jarin became a partial disability pensioner of the Social Security System20 and no longer worked as seaman in view of his illness.
On April 18, 2008, Jarin filed a complaint before the Arbitration Branch of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) claiming US$60,000.00 as permanent total disability benefit, US$2,889.60 as sickness allowance for his incapacity to work for 120 days pursuant to the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency-Standard Employment Contract for Filipino Seafarers (POEA-SEC), US$10,000.00 as moral damages and exemplary damages and ten percent (10%) of the total monetary award as attorney’s fees.
WHEREFORE, foregoing premises considered, judgment is hereby rendered finding [Jarin] entitled to his money claims.
[Petitioners] Teekay Shipping Phil., Inc. and Alex Verchez [are] hereby ordered to pay [Jarin] the total amount of FIFTY-TWO THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED EIGHTY-NINE US DOLLARS and 60/100 (US$52,889.60) representing his disability benefit and 120-day sickness benefits.
All other claims are dismissed for lack of merit.
In a Decision34 dated October 23, 2009, the NLRC Seventh Division ruled in favor of the petitioners. The NLRC considered Jarin’s rheumatoid arthritis as the cause of his disability while his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was disregarded for it has nothing to do with his muscular discomforts.
The NLRC stated that while rheumatoid arthritis is disputably presumed work-related pursuant to Section 20(B)(4) of the POEA-SEC, the petitioners, however, were able to successfully overturn such presumption through the consistent medical reports of its designated physicians that such illness is not work-related. Their medical opinions bear greater evidentiary weight that the internet information presented by Jarin to prove that his illness has reasonable connection to his work. The NLRC also noted Jarin’s failure to seek medical opinion from a physician of his choice to counter the company-designated physicians’ assessment.
Jarin moved for reconsideration35 but his motion was denied in the NLRC Resolution36 dated June 7, 2010. Feeling aggrieved, Jarin elevated the matter to the CA via a petition for certiorari.
In a Decision37 dated November 26, 2010, the CA reversed the NLRC and reinstated the LA’s ruling. The CA found the petitioners liable for permanent and total disability benefits because Jarin was able to adduce substantial evidence that the risk of contracting rheumatoid arthritis was increased by his exposure to the working conditions in the vessel. The CA admitted Jarin’s sworn narration that he was often required to work for long periods of time, constantly exposed to extreme temperatures while performing his functions and was made to carry heavy loads which caused so much stress to his joints and muscles. The CA held that such factors prove the causal connection between Jarin’s work and the increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. The CA faulted the NLRC for failing to consider such sworn narration considering that what the law requires is not direct proof but reasonable proof of the causal connection between the work and ailment.
WHEREFORE, the petition is GRANTED. Accordingly, the assailed Decision dated October 23, 2009 and Resolution dated June 7, 2010 of public respondent NLRC in NLRC-LAC No. 11-000896-08 NLRC-Case No.-OFW-M-04-05618-08 are hereby ANNULLED and SET ASIDE and a new one entered ordering private respondents to pay petitioner Jarin the sums of US$60,000.00 as disability benefit; US$2,889.60 or the equivalent thereof in Philippine Currency as sickness benefit for 120 days; and ten percent (10%) of the monetary award as attorney’s fees.
THE [CA] SERIOUSLY ERRED IN FINDING [JARIN] TO HAVE SUFFERED A WORK-RELATED DISABILITY BASED ON HIS UNSUBSTANTIATED ALLEGATIONS THAT HIS TASKS ONBOARD THE VESSEL M.T. ERIK SPIRIT CAUSED HIS ILLNESS.
THE [CA] GRAVELY ERRED IN AWARDING SICKNESS ALLOWANCE DESPITE THE FACT THAT [JARIN] WAS NOT MEDICALLY REPATRIATED.
The petition has no merit.
In the case at bar, Jarin was able to prove that his rheumatoid arthritis was contracted out of his daily duties as Chief Cook onboard M.T. Erik Spirit. The narration of facts in his position paper detailed the nature of his work as Chief Cook and the daily working conditions on sea duty.
Further, a careful study of the medical opinions issued by the petitioners’ doctors strikes this Court to declare that as early as February 2007, Jarin’s rheumatoid arthritis was already detected by a doctor in Canada. This was fully verified by the medical opinions issued by the petitioners’ company-designated physicians in Manila which all indicated that Jarin has rheumatoid arthritis. This is why an intensive medical treatment was administered to him under their care. To recall, even the medical report dated August 16, 200750 advised Jarin to continue his medication and to come back to them on September 17, 2007 considering that his body did not respond well to the enbrel injections already given him. On August 17, 2007, Dr. Balbon issued an opinion declaring him unrecommendable for further sea duties coupled with the drastic withdrawal of the medical treatment given to him by the petitioners. It is unmistakable from such recommendation that Jarin’s rheumatoid arthritis has rendered him permanently incapacitated to work as a seaman. Also, by the very same clarity of Dr. Balbon’s recommendation, it became unnecessary for Jarin to consult the opinion of his own doctors.
WHEREFORE, in view of the foregoing premises, the petition is hereby DENIED. The Decision dated November 26, 2010 and Resolution dated February 9, 2011 of the Court of Appeals in CA-G.R. SP No. 114882 are AFFIRMED.
Sereno, C.J., (Chairperson), Leonardo-De Castro, Bersamin, Villarama, Jr., and Reyes, JJ., concur.
1 Penned by Associate Justice Remedios A. Salazar-Fernando, with Associate Justices Celia C. Librea-Leagogo and Michael P. Elbinias, concurring; rollo, pp. 32-42.
23 566 Phil. 361 (2008).
26 Issued by Labor Arbiter Corazon C. Borbolla; id. at 215-219.
34 Penned by Commissioner Angelo Ang Palaña, with Presiding Commissioner Herminio V. Suelo and Commissioner Numeriano D. Villena, concurring; id. at 279-291.
42 Department Order No. 4, series of 2000 is entitled Amended Terms and Conditions Governing the Employment of Filipino Seafarers On-Board Ocean-Going Vessels.
43Maersk Filipinas Crewing Inc./Maersk Services Ltd., and/or Mr. Jerome Delos Angeles v. Mesina, G.R. No. 200837, June 5, 2013, 697 SCRA 601.
4. Those illnesses not listed in Section 32 of this Contract are disputably presumed as work-related.
45Spouses Aya-ay, Sr. v. Arpaphil Shipping Corp., 516 Phil. 628, 639 (2006).
46Magsaysay Maritime Corporation v. NLRC (Second Division), G.R. No. 186180, March 22, 2010, 616 SCRA 362, 373-374.
48 Government Service Insurance System v. Besitan, G.R. No. 178901, November 23, 2011, 661 SCRA 186, 194.
53Leonis Navigation Co., Inc. v. Villamater, G.R. No. 179169, March 3, 2010, 614 SCRA 182, 201.
54 Seagull Maritime Corp. v. Dee, 548 Phil. 660, 671-672 (2007).

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