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any capacity and entitled to 100% compensation, i.e., US$80,000.00 for
officers and US$60,000.00 for ratings. Furthermore, any seafarer assessed
at less than 50% disability under the Contract but certified as permanently
unfit for further sea service in any capacity by the company doctor, shall also
be entitled to 100% compensation.[32]
Such provision finds no application in petitioner's case. Dr. Alegre, the companydesignated physician, gave petitioner a disability grade of 12 only, which is less than
50%, but he did not make a certification that petitioner was permanently unfit for
further sea service. In fact, Dr. Alegre's medical report stated that petitioner's illness
could be brought under control with proper diet, exercise and medications given an
approximate time.
Petitioner contends that the two company-designated physicians vary in their
assessment of his medical condition, hence, he cannot be faulted for not relying on any
of their findings but relied instead on Dr. Vicaldo's disability rating.
We are not persuaded.
After petitioner' repatriation on December 25, 1999, he was seen by Dr. Cruz seven
times and was prescribed corresponding medications. He was declared fit to work on
April 7, 2000 after his hypertension and diabetes mellitus were diagnosed to be
controlled. However, when petitioner went to consult with Dr. Alegre on August 31,
2000, he was found not fit to work at that time because of his poorly-controlled
diabetes mellitus and hypertension and gave him a disability rating of grade 12. The
drastic change in petitioner's health condition, as indicated in Dr. Alegre's Report, was
brought about by the non-compliance in the intake of medications. The interval of
almost four months from April 7, 2000 and without the intake of proper medications
explain the difference in the assessment of the two company designated doctors.
Petitioner alleges that as he was unable to work for more than 120 days as a result of
his illness, his condition constitutes permanent total disability relying on the case of
Crystal Shipping Inc. v. Natividad.[33]
The factual circumstances of the Crystal Shipping case is different. There, the seafarer
was diagnosed with cancer and was assessed by the company-designated physician as
suffering from Grade 9 disability, while his private doctor issued a Grade 1 disability. It
was found that the seafarer was unable to work from August 18, 1998 to February 22,
1999, at the least, or more than 120 days, due to his medical treatment, which showed
that his disability was permanent. In this case, petitioner was repatriated on December
25, 1999 and had been declared fit to work on April 7, 2000, which was within the.
120-day period treatment or the temporary total disability period from the date of the
seafarer's sign-off.
WHEREFORE, the petition for review on certiorari is hereby DENIED. The Decision
dated September 9, 2005 and the Resolution dated December 9, 2005 of the Court of
Appeals issued in CA-GR. SP No. 87979 are AFFIRMED.
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