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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Navigating Seafarer Disability Claims: The Primacy of the Company-Designated Physician's Assessment
When a seafarer's own doctor disagrees with the company physician, the POEA-SEC requires referral to a third doctor. Learn why.
Seafarers' Disability Claims: The Duty to Inform and the 120/240-Day Rule
The Supreme Court clarifies that a company-designated physician must actually inform the seafarer of a disability assessment; mere issuance is not enough.
Premature Filing Seafarers Disability Claim Dismissed FOR NON Compliance With Poea SEC Procedures
Seafarers' Disability Claims: The 240-Day Rule and Premature Filing Explained
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies the 240-day rule for seafarer disability assessments, explaining when a claim becomes premature and why timing matters.
Seafarers' Disability Claims: The Cost of Skipping the Post-Employment Medical Exam
A seafarer who skips the company-designated post-employment medical exam forfeits disability claims. The Supreme Court explains the rule and its limits.
Forfeiture of Seafarers Disability Claim: Strict Adherence to Post-Employment Medical Examination
Learn the strict rule on post-employment medical exams for seafarers and how failing to comply can forfeit disability claims.
Seafarers' Disability Claims: Strict Compliance With Post-Employment Medical Exam
Supreme Court clarifies that seafarers who fail the 3-day post-employment medical exam rule forfeit disability benefits, even if illness is work-related.
Navigating Seafarer Disability Claims: The Mandatory Third Doctor Rule
When a seafarer's doctor and the company physician disagree on disability, the POEA-SEC's third-doctor rule is mandatory. Hernandez v. Magsaysay explains why.
Seafarer Disability Claims: The 120-240 Day Rule for Medical Assessments
Understand the 120-240 day rule for company-designated physician assessments in seafarer disability claims, explained through a 2018 Supreme Court ruling.
Seafarers Disability Claims: When the Company Physician's Assessment Prevails
Learn when a company-designated physician's fit-to-work certification prevails over a seafarer's own doctor in disability claims under the POEA-SEC.
Seafarer Disability Claims: The 120-Day Rule and Timely Medical Assessment
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies the 120-day and 240-day periods for company-designated physician assessments in seafarer disability claims, and the burden on employers to justify extensions.
Protecting Seafarers: Timely Disability Assessments and Employer Duties in Maritime Law
Learn how the Supreme Court protects seafarers' disability claims when company doctors miss the 120-day assessment deadline.
Seafarer’s Disability Claim Denied for Missing the 3-Day Post-Repatriation Exam
A seafarer who failed the 3-day post-repatriation medical exam rule lost his disability claim. Learn the strict POEA-SEC requirement.
Seafarers' Disability Claims: Strict Compliance With 3-Day Reporting Rule Required
A seafarer who fails the three-day post-repatriation medical reporting requirement forfeits disability claims, as Tagud v. BSM shows.
Seafarer Disability Claims Strict Compliance With Post Employment Medical Exam Rule
Seafarer Disability Claims: Why Filing Too Early Can Jeopardize Total Disability Benefits
Filing a disability claim before the 240-day treatment period ends can be fatal. Learn from the Supreme Court's ruling in C.F. Sharp Crew Management v. Orbeta.
Medical Abandonment in Seafarer Disability Claims: Upholding Treatment Obligations
Filing a disability claim while still under treatment can backfire. The Supreme Court explains medical abandonment in seafarer cases.
Seafarers Disability Claims: Timely Assessment and the Right to Compensation
The Supreme Court clarifies when a seafarer's disability becomes permanent and total if the company doctor fails to issue a timely assessment.
Breach of Contract: When Concealing Pre-Existing Illness Negates Seafarer Disability Claims
Philippine Supreme Court rules on seafarers' disability benefits, fraudulent misrepresentation, and pre-existing conditions under the POEA-SEC.
Seafarer Disability Claims Upholding Honesty IN PRE Employment Medical Exams
Company-Designated Physician's Fitness Declaration Prevails in Seafarer Disability Claims
Supreme Court rules company-designated physician's fit-to-work assessment binds seafarer unless properly disputed under POEA-SEC procedure.
Weighing Medical Opinions: Company Doctors vs Private Physicians in Seafarer Disability Claims
The Supreme Court clarifies when a company-designated physician's findings prevail over a private doctor's assessment in seafarer disability claims.
Seafarers' Disability Claims: Proving Work-Relatedness and Compensability
The Supreme Court clarifies the distinction between work-relatedness and compensability in seafarers' disability claims under the 2000 POEA-SEC.
Seafarers Disability Claims: Proving the Link Between Work Conditions and Illness
Explaining the Supreme Court's ruling in Atienza v. Orophil Shipping on work-relatedness, compensability, and the 120-day rule for seafarers' disability claims.