Legal Insights
Plain-language guides and case briefs on Philippine law — researched from the firm's law library of 184,000+ statutes, Supreme Court decisions, and agency issuances, and written so non-lawyers can understand and act on them.
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Seafarer Disability Claims and the 240-Day Rule: What the Supreme Court Says
Learn how the 240-day rule and medical assessments shape seafarer disability claims under Philippine law.
Reasonable Linkage Seafarers Illness AND Work Conditions IN Disability Claims
When a Seafarer Is Deemed Totally and Permanently Disabled Under the POEA-SEC
The Supreme Court explains when a seafarer is deemed totally and permanently disabled and how attorney's fees are computed in disability claims.
Seafarer Disability Claims: Defining Total and Permanent Under Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a seafarer with a partial disability grade is deemed totally and permanently disabled under the POEA-SEC.
Seafarers Disability Claims Proving Entitlement AND THE Role OF Company Designated Physicians
Burden of Proof in Seafarer Compensation Claims: Work Conditions and Illness Causation
Supreme Court clarifies when a seafarer's illness is work-related and how delayed disability ratings affect permanent total disability claims.
Defining the Limits of Medical Assessment Periods for Seafarer Disability Claims
The Supreme Court clarifies when a company-designated physician's delay in assessing a seafarer's disability results in permanent total disability benefits.
Overcoming the Presumption of Work-Relatedness in Seafarer Disability Claims
A seafarer's cavernoma claim fails when company doctors' findings are consistent and the seafarer fails to prove work-connection.
Seafarers Disability Claims Upholding Company Doctors Assessment Absent Third Opinion
Supreme Court clarifies when a company-designated physician's disability grading prevails over a seafarer's private doctor in POEA-SEC claims.
Seafarer Disability Claims: Why the 120-Day Rule Is Not Automatic
The Supreme Court clarifies that the 120-day rule does not automatically grant total disability benefits to seafarers under the POEA-SEC.
Seafarer Disability Claims: When Payment Becomes Final Despite a Reversed Award
A Supreme Court ruling on seafarer disability benefits, the 120-day rule, and when conditional payment becomes final satisfaction of judgment.
Timely Disability Claims: Seafarers' Rights and Employer Obligations Under POEA-SEC
Learn how the Supreme Court clarified seafarers' disability claims, the 120/240-day rule, and why timely filing matters under POEA-SEC.
Filing Disability Claims Early: Why Timing and the Company Doctor's Assessment Matter
A seafarer's premature disability claim fails when the company-designated physician issues a Grade 10 rating within 240 days. Learn the rules.
Seafarer Disability Claims: Following POEA-SEC Procedures for a Valid Assessment
The Supreme Court clarifies when a seafarer's disability claim fails: premature filing and skipping the mandatory third-doctor referral under the POEA-SEC.
Premature Claims and the Company Physician's Assessment in Seafarer Disability Cases
Explaining Maersk Filipinas v. Ramos on why premature disability claims fail and how the company-designated physician's assessment shapes seafarer compensation.
Seafarers Disability Claims: Strict Adherence to POEA Contract Procedures Required
SC ruling in Calimlim v. Wallem Maritime: seafarers must follow POEA-SEC procedures, including third-doctor referral, or company physician's assessment stands.
Work-Related Illness and Causation in Seafarer Disability Claims: Key Lessons
Learn how Philippine courts decide seafarer disability claims, focusing on work-related illness, causation, and the POEA standard of proof.
Burden of Proof in Seafarer Disability Claims: Establishing Work-Relatedness
The Supreme Court clarifies that seafarers must prove work-relatedness of illness or injury by substantial evidence to receive disability benefits.
Work-Related Illness and Seafarers' Compensation: The Burden of Proof Explained
The Supreme Court clarifies when a seafarer's illness is compensable and how the burden of proof works in disability claims.
When the Company Physician's Fit-to-Work Assessment Prevails in Seafarer Disability Claims
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a company-designated physician's fit-to-work certification outweighs a seafarer's private doctor in disability claims.
Seafarer Disability Claims: Why Timely Assessment by the Company Doctor Matters
If a company-designated doctor fails to assess a seafarer's fitness within 240 days from repatriation, the seafarer is deemed totally and permanently disabled.
Seafarer Disability Claims: Why Substantial Evidence and the 3-Day Medical Exam Rule Matter
A Supreme Court ruling explains why seafarers must comply with the mandatory post-employment medical exam and prove work-related illness with substantial evidence.
Work Relatedness and Seafarer Disability Claims: Proving the Link
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that seafarers must prove work relatedness for disability claims, not just inability to work for 120 days.
The Three-Day Rule: Forfeiture of Seafarers' Disability Benefits for Non-Compliance
A seafarer's failure to see a company-designated physician within three days of repatriation can forfeit disability claims, as Ricasata v. Cargo Safeway shows.