G.R. No. L-50918 May 17, 1980
MILAGROS B. LA O, for herself and in behalf of her minor children, MARINA and VICTORIA, both surnamed LA O, petitioner, vs. EMPLOYEES’ COMPENSATION COMMISSION and THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF QUEZON and GOVERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM, respondents.

FACTS

Petitioner Milagros B. La O, widow of Perfecto V. La O, sought death benefits under P.D. 626, as amended. Perfecto served as a government employee for over 28 years, eventually becoming Chief of the Cash Division in the Provincial Treasurer’s Office of Quezon. He began experiencing abdominal pains in August 1976, continued working until October 1976, and was diagnosed with hepatoma (liver cancer). He died on February 7, 1977, from hypovolemic shock due to bleeding esophageal varices, a terminal complication of his liver disease. The GSIS denied the claim, stating the ailment, while listed, failed to satisfy specific conditions for compensability, and the claimant did not prove that the risk of contracting the disease was increased by his working conditions. The Employees’ Compensation Commission affirmed the denial, citing medical opinion that hepatoma is often associated with cirrhosis from factors like chronic alcohol ingestion and impaired nutrition, and is not work-connected for a cash division chief.

ISSUE

Whether the death of Perfecto V. La O due to hepatoma is compensable under the Employees’ Compensation Act.

RULING

Yes, the death is compensable. The Supreme Court reversed the ECC decision. The legal logic centers on the application of the presumption of compensability and the principle of liberal interpretation in favor of the laborer under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, which governed the period when the disease was allegedly contracted. The Court noted that the deceased entered government service in good health and served for 28 years, during which he had periodic absences for various stomach and flu-like ailments. These absences, spanning from 1969 to 1974, indicated that the disease process likely began during his employment and was aggravated by the conditions of his work. The Court held that where an illness supervenes during employment, there is a rebuttable presumption that it arose out of or was aggravated by such employment. The respondents failed to present substantial evidence to overcome this presumption. Furthermore, the Court emphasized that the cause of cancer is often unknown, and compensability should not be denied solely because its precise etiology is not established, especially when the disease manifests during a long period of service. The claim was thus granted, ordering the Provincial Government of Quezon to pay death benefits, reimburse medical expenses, and provide burial expenses.