6/5/2020 E-Library - Information At Your Fingertips: Printer Friendly court's ruling: I. WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS REVERSIBLE ERROR IN THE COURT OF APPEALS' DECISION GRANTING THE PETITION FOR CERTIORARI OF THE RESPONDENTS II. WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS REVERSIBLE ERROR IN THE COURT OF APPEALS' DECISION REVERSING AND SETTING ASIDE THE DECISION OF THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS COMMISSION THAT THE AILMENT OF THE PETITIONER IS WORK-RELATED AND THEREFORE COMPENSABLE III. WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS REVERSIBLE ERROR IN THE COURT OF APPEALS' DECISION WHICH DISREGARD THE LATEST MEDICAL CERTIFICATION OF THE RESPONDENTS' DESIGNATED PHYSICIAN THAT THE AILMENT OF THE PETITIONER IS WORK-RELATED IV. WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS REVERSIBLE ERROR IN THE COURT OF APPEALS' DECISION THAT RESPONDENT IS NOT ENTITLED TO DISABILITY BENEFITS BECAUSE HE HAS ALREADY FINISHED HIS CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT[11] We impale the foregoing into the sole issue of whether petitioner is entitled to disability benefits. We answer in the negative and deny the petition. Petitioner claims disability benefits for a work-related injury or illness during the term of his contract. Petitioner asseverates that his illness of "Lumbar Spondylosis" is workrelated given that he experienced such while on board respondents' vessel in 1999, albeit he was given a "fit to work" certification effective for two (2) years from year 2000. He then points out that during his last employment contract from July 2001 to April 2002, his illness worsened and became aggravated resulting in a diagnosis of "herniated disc L3-L4 and L4-L5." We note, however, that petitioner only vaguely refers to the specifics of what transpired after he signed-off from respondents' vessel in April 2002, although it is this last employment contract on which petitioner bases his claim for disability benefits: 12. After the completion of his contract of employment for the period covering 7 July 2001 to April 2002, [petitioner] underwent another medical examination with the hope that he can be re [-] deployed again come July 2002 until April 2003. However, he was declared "unfit to work" by the Seamen's Hospital when the result of the medical examinations was released. His ailment of "Lumbar Spondylosis" further aggravated and he was diagnosed to have herniated disc L3-L4 and L4-L5. Copy of the result or interpretation of the CT scan of [petitioner] is hereto attached and marked as Annex "B". The Medical Certification issued by the Seamen's Hospital elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocsfriendly/1/60102 7/15