5/19/2021 E-Library - Information At Your Fingertips: Printer Friendly Hence, this petition. The Court's Ruling The petition utterly fails to convince the Court that the CA, in the case at bench, erred in the appreciation of evidence or committed an error in law reversible by a petition for review on certiorari. The instant petition effectively beseech the Court to revisit and recalibrate the evidence on record already passed upon by the labor tribunals as part of their statutory function, [35] and ultimately, to rule on the factual issue of whether or not there is sufficient basis to hold petitioners liable to pay disability benefits owing to Narbonita under the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration's (POEA's) "Amended Standard Terms and Conditions Governing the Employment of Filipino Seafarers On-Board Ocean-Going Vessels"[36] deemed written in the latter's contract of employment. However, the Court has repeated many times over that it is not a trier of facts and that its jurisdiction in petitions filed under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court is limited to reviewing only errors of law, unless it can be shown that the factual findings complained of are completely devoid of support in the records or that the assailed judgment is based on a gross misapprehension of facts.[37] The principle that this Court is a non-trier of facts applies with greater force in labor cases inasmuch as the factual findings of quasi-judicial bodies like the LA and the NLRC, especially when affirmed by the CA, are generally accorded not only with respect, but even finality by this Court.[38] At any rate, the Court, after a careful review of the case, sees no cogent reason to disturb the common findings and conclusion of all the three tribunals below that the subject illness of Narbonita was work-related, hence, compensable. Every employment contract between a Filipino seafarer and his employer is governed, not only by their mutual agreements, but also by law specifically, the provisions of the 2000 POEA-Standard Employment Contract (POEA-SEC) for Filipino Seafarers.[39] As such, POEA-SEC spells out the conditions for compensability and Section 20(B) thereof requires an employer to compensate his employee who suffers from work-related illness or injury during the term of his employment contract, viz.: Section 20-B. COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS FOR INJURY OR ILLNESS The liabilities of the employer when the seafarer suffers work-related injury or illness during the term of his contract are as follows: xxxx 6. In case of permanent total or partial disability of the seafarer caused by either injury or illness, the seafarer shall be compensated in accordance with the schedule of benefits enumerated in Section 32 of this Contract. Computation of his benefits arising from an illness or disease shall be governed by the rates and rules of compensation applicable at the time the illness or disease was contracted. https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocsfriendly/1/66272 4/9