Dear PAO,

My husband was a printing press operator for almost 40 years. Before his retirement, he took medications because of severe chest and back pains, and incessant coughing. He retired from work and was diagnosed with prostate cancer which eventually caused his death. I filed a claim for employee's compensation benefits, but the initial evaluation revealed that the cause of his death is considered a non-occupational disease. Is there still anything I can do to pursue my claim?

Teodora

Dear Teodora,

In the recent case of Social Security System (SSS) v. Violeta A. Simacas, GR 217866, June 20, 2022, the Supreme Court speaking through Associate Justice Marvic Mario Victor Leonen emphasized that Presidential Decree (PD) 442 or the "Labor Code of the Philippines," as amended by PD 626, "continues to be 'an employees' compensation law or a social legislation' which should be liberally construed in favor of labor."

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