4/9/2020 E-Library - Information At Your Fingertips: Printer Friendly stated that they had no intention to fabricate or mislead the appellate court and the Labor Arbiter, but they had to explain the circumstances that transpired in the conduct of the medical examination. Petitioners reiterated that the medical examination was conducted on January 17, 2000 and the result was released on January 20, 2000. As explained by Dr. Lyn dela Cruz-De Leon, the date "January 17, 2000" was written on the medical examination certificate because it was the day when respondent was referred and initially examined by her. The medical examination certificate was dated January 17, 2000 not for any reason, but in accordance with a generally accepted medical practice, which was not controverted by respondent. Petitioners assert that respondent's failure to join the vessel on January 17, 2000 should not be attributed to it for it was a direct consequence of the delay in the release of the medical report. Respondent was not yet declared fit to work at the time when he was supposed to be deployed on January 17, 2000, as instructed by petitioners' principal. Respondent's fitness to work is a condition sine qua non for purposes of deploying an overseas contract worker. Since respondent failed to qualify on the date designated by the principal for his deployment, petitioners had to find a qualified replacement considering the nature of the shipping business where delay in the departure of the vessel is synonymous to demurrage/damages on the part of the principal and on the vessel's charterer. Without a clean bill of health, the contract of employment cannot be considered to have been perfected as it is wanting of an important requisite. Based on the foregoing argument of petitioners, the first issue to be resolved is whether petitioners' reason for preventing respondent from leaving Manila and joining the vessel M/V AUK in Germany on January 17, 2000 is valid. The Court rules in the negative. The Court has carefully reviewed the records of the case, and agrees with the Court of Appeals that respondent's Medical Certificate[17] dated January 17, 2000, stamped with the words "FIT TO WORK," proves that respondent was medically fit to leave Manila on January 17, 2000 to join the vessel M/V AUK in Germany. The Affidavit of Dr. Lyn dela Cruz-De Leon that respondent was declared fit to work only on January 21, 2000 cannot overcome the evidence in the Medical Certificate dated January 17, 2000, which already stated that respondent had "Class-B Non-Infectious Hepatitis-B," and that he was fit to work. The explanation given by Dr. Lyn dela Cruz-De Leon in her affidavit that the Medical Certificate was dated January 17, 2000, since it carries the date when they started to examine the patient per standard operating procedure, does not persuade as it goes against logic and the chronological recording of medical procedures. The Medical Certificate submitted as documentary evidence[18] is proof of its contents, including the date thereof which states that respondent was already declared fit to work on January 17, 2000, the date of his scheduled deployment. Next, petitioners contend that respondent's employment contract was not pursuant to the POEA Standard Employment Contract, which provides: elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocsfriendly/1/21705 perfected 7/12