Monday, December 10, 2018, 9:39 p.m. By Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho The declaration for interim disability grade is merely an initial determination of a seafarer’s condition for the time being and cannot be considered as a definite prognosis. Without a valid final and definitive assessment from the company-designated physician within the 120/240-day period, the law…
Monday, October 29, 2018, 3:37 p.m. By Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho Degenerative changes of the spine, also known as osteoarthritis, is considered as a work-related. due to the seafarer’s performance of tasks that clearly involved unduly heavy physical labor and joint strain. A job of a seafarer is not exactly a walk in the park. …
Friday, July 13, 2018, 1:17 a.m. By Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho Protection of eyes is of paramount importance while working on ships. Shipboard jobs such as welding, chipping, painting, and working with hazardous material such as oil and chemicals as well as exposure to the sun’s UV rays pose great danger to the seafarer ’s eyes. If…
Monday, July 9, 2018, 3:20 a.m. By Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho A medically repatriated seafarer would normally result in depriving him of compensation income due to his inability to perform his sea duties. Away from his family and working on board vessels sailing non-stop for weeks or months the world’s oceans, the Filipino seafarer is…
Tuesday, May 8, 2018, 12:03 a.m. By: Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho It is a well-known fact that seafaring is one of the most hazardous occupations, in regards to personal health and safety concerns of seafarers. Apart from accidents, seafarers are prone to certain serious diseases and health hazards due to the nature of onboard…
Thursday, April 5, 2018, 11:55 p.m. By: Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho The findings of the company-designated physician do not always bind the courts in determining the merits of compensation cases filed by Filipino seafarers. In most seafarer cases for disability or death benefits claims, one of the arguments often raised by the companies or the insurance…
Monday, January 15, 2018, 11:31 p.m. By: Atty Dennis R. Gorecho The Supreme Court warned companies from issuing dubious Certificate of Fitness which it described as “a ploy that aims to take advantage of the worker’s lack of sufficient legal knowledge and his desperate circumstances” The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a young seafarer…
4:00 am Wednesday, August 30, 2017 By: Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho A seafarer is considered as suffering permanent total disability if the medical statement of the company doctor is devoid of any definitive declaration as to the seafarer’s capacity to return to work or at least a categorical and final degree of disability. For the courts and labor…
12:36 am Tuesday, July 11, 2017 By: Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho The number of days under medication is a significant element in determining the disability benefits of a seafarer who was a medically repatriated. The seafarer’s standard employment contract of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) enumerates under Section 20(A) (3) the three classes of benefits the…
2:29 am Friday, June 2, 2017 By: Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), the aim of the Pre -Employment Medical Examination (PEME) is to ensure that the seafarer being examined is medically fit to perform his or her routine and emergency duties at sea and is not suffering from any medical condition…