5/28/2020
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hydrant caps, which injury resulted in his disability. The Court reasoned out that the
injury cannot be said to be the result of an accident, i.e., an unlooked for mishap,
occurrence, or fortuitous event, because the injury resulted from the performance of a
duty. Although Illescas may not have expected the injury, yet, it is common knowledge
that carrying heavy objects can cause back injury. Hence, the injury cannot be viewed
as unusual under the circumstances, and is not synonymous with the term "accident."
[27]
While on its face, the facts seemed similar, they are in fact different, thus leading us to
decide the present case differently. In Illescas, no unusual, fortuitous, unexpected or
unforeseen event took place or was reported. Illescas merely went about his normal
duties; he transported fire hydrant caps from the deck to the engine workshop, then
back to the deck to refit the caps. The sudden snap Illescas felt on his back while
carrying the fire hydrant caps thus could not, by itself, qualify as an accident.[28]
In the present case, Sunga did not incur the injury while solely performing his regular
duties; an intervening event transpired which brought upon the injury. To repeat, the
two other oilers who were supposed to help carry the weight of the 200-kilogram globe
valve lost their grasp of the globe valve. As a result, Sunga’s back snapped when the
entire weight of the item fell upon him. The sheer weight of the item is designed not to
be carried by just one person, but as was observed, meant to be undertaken by several
men and expectedly greatly overwhelmed the physical limits of an average person.
Notably, this incident cannot be considered as foreseeable, nor can it be reasonably
anticipated. Sunga’s duty as a fitter involved changing the valve, not to routinely carry
a 200-kilogram globe valve singlehandedly. The loss of his fellow workers’ group was
also unforeseen in so far as Sunga was concerned.
In Jarco Marketing Corporation, et al., v. Court of Appeals, we ruled that an accident
pertains to an unforeseen event in which no fault or negligence attaches to the
defendant. It is “a fortuitous circumstance, event or happening; an event happening
without any human agency, or if happening wholly or partly through human agency, an
event which under the circumstances is unusual or unexpected by the person to whom
it happens.”[29]
Since Sunga encountered an accident on board MT Sunway, the CA thus grossly
misappreciated and misread the ruling of the NLRC, leading the appellate court to find
a grave abuse of discretion sufficient for a reversal of the NLRC ruling. In other words,
as the NLRC found, Sunga’s disability benefits should fall within the coverage of the
parties’ CBA, which provides:
Article 28: Disability
28.1 A seafarer who suffers permanent disability as a result of an
accident whilst in the employment of the Company regardless of fault,
including accidents occurring while traveling to or from the ship, and whose
ability to work as a seafarer is reduced as a result thereof, but excluding
permanent disability due to willful acts, shall in addition to sick pay, be
elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocsfriendly/1/56877
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