that petitioners merely wangled them from the unsuspecting Lutero who, at that time, just arrived in the country after having been confined in a hospital in Dubai for a heart ailment.   It is a time-honored rule that in controversies between a laborer and his employer, doubts reasonably arising from the evidence or from the interpretation of agreements and writings should be resolved in the former's favor in consonance with the avowed policy of the State to give maximum aid and protection to labor.32 [32] This principle gives us even greater reason to affirm the findings of the CA which aptly and judiciously held:   It was established on record that before the late Lutero Remo signed his last contract with private respondents as Cook-Steward of the vessel “M/T Captain Mitsos L,” he was required to undergo a series of medical examinations. Yet, he was declared “fit to work” by private respondents’ company designatedphysician. On April 19, 1999, Remo was discharged from his vessel after he was hospitalized in Fujairah for atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure. His death on August 28, 2000, even if it occurred months after his repatriation, due to hypertensive cardio-vascular disease, could clearly have been work related. Declared as “fit to work” at the time of hiring, and hospitalized while on service on account of “atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure,” his eventual death due to “hypertensive cardio-vascular disease” could only be work related. The death due to “hypertensive cardio-vascular disease” could in fact be traced to Lutero Remo’s being the “Cook-Steward.” As Cook-Steward of an ocean going vessel, Remo had no choice but to prepare and eat hypertension inducing food, a kind of food that eventually caused his “hypertensive cardio-vascular disease,” a disease which in turn admittedly caused his death.   Private respondents cannot deny liability for the subject death by claiming that the seafarer’s death occurred beyond the term of his employment and worsely, that there has been misrepresentation on the part of the seafarer. For, as employer, the private respondents had all the opportunity to pre-qualify, thoroughly screen and choose their applicants to determine if they are medically, psychologically and mentally fit for employment. That the seafarer here was subjected to the required pre-qualification standards before he was admitted as 32[32] Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company v. National Labor Relations Commission, G.R. No. 152928, June 18, 2009, 589 SCRA 376.