G.R. No. L-69572 July 28, 1986
JOSEFINA MILLORA, petitioner, vs. EMPLOYEES’ COMPENSATION COMMISSION and GOVERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM [MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, CULTURE AND SPORTS], respondents.

FACTS

Petitioner Josefina Millora is the widow of Prisco Millora, a public school teacher who died at age 40. For eleven years prior to his death, he suffered from diabetes mellitus, leading to complications including diabetic ulcers and a mature cataract in his right eye. He underwent cataract extraction surgery in September 1981. Following the surgery, he filed a claim for disability benefits under P.D. 626, as amended, which was denied by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). On February 1, 1982, he died, with the death certificate stating the cause as “cataract extraction (infection) of the right eye.” Petitioner subsequently filed a claim for death benefits.
The GSIS and, on appeal, the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) denied the claim. They ruled that diabetes mellitus is primarily a hereditary or developmental metabolic disorder, with known predisposing factors including family history, obesity, and older age. The agencies concluded that the disease and its complications (ulcer and cataract) were not work-connected, as the etiology was genetic or idiopathic and not listed as an occupational disease. They emphasized that the principles of presumption of compensability and aggravation under the old Workmen’s Compensation Act were abolished by the present Labor Code.

ISSUE

Whether the death of Prisco Millora, resulting from complications of diabetes mellitus, is compensable under P.D. 626, as amended.

RULING

Yes, the death is compensable. The Supreme Court reversed the ECC decision. The legal logic proceeds from the requirement under P.D. 626 that for an illness to be compensable, it must either be a listed occupational disease or be caused by employment, with the claimant providing substantial evidence of work-connection.
The Court acknowledged medical authorities stating diabetes has a genetic component. However, it found that the deceased, who began teaching at age 21, had no predisposing factors like heredity (his parents were not diabetic), obesity, or old age. The Court accepted medical opinion, verified from endocrinologist Dr. Augusto Litonjua, that physical or emotional stress produces contra-insulin hormones which increase blood sugar. The nature of the deceased’s work as a teacher—involving long hours preparing lessons, developing instructional materials, and participating in school projects—created a physically and emotionally stressful environment. This work condition reasonably increased the risk of contracting diabetes mellitus and its fatal complications. Therefore, petitioner successfully established a causal link between the employment and the fatal disease, satisfying the requirement for compensability under the law. The GSIS was ordered to pay death benefits, funeral expenses, and attorney’s fees.