GR 41253; (September, 1980) (Digest)
G.R. No. L-41253 September 11, 1980
BATANGAS LAGUNA TAYABAS BUS COMPANY, petitioner, vs. WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION COMMISSION and LEONARDO KALAW, respondents.
FACTS
Leonardo Kalaw was employed as a conductor by the Batangas Laguna Tayabas Bus Company (BLTB) from October 31, 1963. His duties involved issuing tickets and assisting passengers with luggage, exposing him to constant contact with the public. On June 19, 1966, he took sick leave for dermatitis, and on March 28, 1967, for an allergy. He eventually stopped working on August 25, 1967. On October 3, 1967, Dr. Amado Ramos, a skin disease specialist, diagnosed his condition as Hansen’s disease (leprosy).
Kalaw filed a claim for compensation on March 17, 1969. The Acting Chief of the Workmen’s Compensation Unit awarded him P1,335.00. On appeal, the Workmen’s Compensation Commission affirmed liability but increased the disability compensation to the statutory maximum of P6,000.00, reasoning that his disability persisted from his last work date up to the decision date of July 24, 1975, totaling 413 weeks. BLTB filed this petition for certiorari.
ISSUE
1. Whether Hansen’s disease (leprosy) is compensable under the Workmen’s Compensation Act.
2. Whether the Commission erred in awarding disability benefits beyond Kalaw’s retirement date and after his alleged recovery.
RULING
The Supreme Court dismissed the petition and affirmed the Commission’s decision. On the first issue, the Court held the illness compensable. Applying Section 44 of the Workmen’s Compensation Act, there is a statutory presumption that a claim arises from employment, absent substantial contrary evidence. The claimant is relieved from proving precise causation; it suffices that the illness occurred or was aggravated during employment and caused disability. Medical testimony established that leprosy, a systemic disease, can be acquired through contact and is influenced by factors like sudden environmental changes and lowered body resistance. Kalaw’s work as a conductor, involving constant public exposure and stress, satisfied these contributing conditions, making the illness compensable.
On the second issue, the Court sustained the award of maximum benefits. The Commission correctly computed disability from August 25, 1967, until its decision date, as the medical record showed Kalaw was still positive for the disease as of July 8, 1971, with no subsequent proof of cure. The award was thus properly capped at P6,000.00 as the legal maximum. Furthermore, the claim, filed within one year and seven months after cessation of work, was timely, as the ten-year prescriptive period under Article 1144(2) of the Civil Code governs. The Commission did not commit grave abuse of discretion.