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hyperthyroidism is compensable.
The POEA-SEC, as provided under Department Order No. 4, series of 2000 of the
Department of Labor and Employment, which contains the Standard Terms and
Conditions Governing The Employment of Filipino Seafarers On-Board Ocean-Going
Vessels, governs the employment contract between Laurel and the petitioners. POEA
came out with it pursuant to its mandate under Executive Order (E.O.) No. 247[23] to
"secure the best terms and conditions of employment of Filipino contract workers and
ensure compliance therewith" and to "promote and protect the well-being of Filipino
workers overseas."[24] Section 20-B of the POEA-SEC enumerates the duties of an
employer to his employee who suffers work-related disease or injury during the term of
his employment contract, to quote:
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:
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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.
Pursuant to the aforequoted provision, two elements must concur for an injury or
illness of a seafarer to be compensable. First, the injury or illness must be workrelated; and second, that the work-related injury or illness must have existed during
the term of the seafarer’s employment contract.[25] Both requisites obtain in this case.
For disability to be compensable under Section 20 (B) of the 2000 POEA-SEC, it must
be the result of a work-related injury or a work-related illness, which are defined as
"injury(ies) resulting in disability or death arising out of and in the course of
employment" and as "any sickness resulting to disability or death as a result of an
occupational disease listed under Section 32-A of this contract with the conditions set
therein satisfied."
Section 32-A. OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
For an occupational disease and the resulting disability or death to be
compensable, all of the following conditions must be satisfied:
elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocsfriendly/1/55780
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