TEOFILA GUEVARRA, Petitioner, v. REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES (Bureau of Public Schools), Respondent.
Acting Solicitor General Hugo E. Gutierrez, Jr. and Solicitor Jesus O. Ibay for Respondent.
Petition for review 1 of the decision of the Workmen's Compensation Commission reversing the award made by Acting Referee of Regional Office No. 5, San Pablo City in favor of petitioner Teofila Guevarra granting her compensation benefits.
Petitioner was employed by respondent Republic of the Philippines (Bureau of Public Schools) as a public school teacher from 1932 up to the Japanese Military Occupation, and then from 1948 up to September 1974. Upon assumption of her position as a classroom teacher she was found to be in perfect health. But sometime in 1972, she had an attack of severe dizziness and fell unconscious. When she regained consciousness she continued to have a feeling of weakness in her left and lower extremeties. Her attending physician diagnosed her illness as "Oartic Insufficiency." 2 Then sometime in June 1974, petitioner felt frequent sore, itchy throat and hoarseness of voice, with slight fever everyday, thus constraining her to stay at the Oriental Mindoro Provincial Hospital at Calapan, Mindoro until September 1, 1974 where she was found to be suffering from Pharyngitis, Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Essential Hypertension. 3 Later, she was confined at the Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital where upon consultation with an E.E.N.T. expert, she was advised to take a complete bed rest. With such condition of her health, petitioner was constrained to apply for retirement, which was in due time approved on September 16, 1974.
On January 8, 1975, petitioner filed her Notice of Injury or Sickness and Claim for Compensation with the Workmen's Compensation Unit No. 5 in San Pablo City. In said notice she alleged that she had given her employer, the Director of Public Schools, a notice of her illness since August 24, 1974. On January 13, 1975 respondent Republic filed an Employer's Supplementary Report of Accident or Sickness with a certification of the Senior Resident Physician of the Oriental Mindoro Provincial Hospital that the illness of the petitioner resulted in a permanent partial disability.
After due hearing, the Workmen's Compensation Unit, Regional Office No. 5, in San Pablo City rendered its decision awarding to petitioner compensation benefits for a total disability for labor from September 16, 1974 up to March 16, 1975 and for permanent partial disability due to Hypertrophic Pharyngitis, Essential Hypertension and Pulmonary Tuberculosis. However, upon review of the award by the respondent Commission, the same was reversed. In reversing the award of the Workmen's Compensation Unit No. 5, the respondent Commission concluded that the petitioner's ailment has no causal relationship with the nature of her employment.
"Inquiries made by the committee revealed that Mrs. Teofilo B. Guevarra experienced dizziness, headaches and chest compression prior to an attack of severe dizziness and unconsciousness in school sometime in August, 1972. Dr. Buhay Medina, her attending physician diagnosed her case as OARTIC INSUFFICIENCY. Mrs. Guevarra had been suffering from occasional sensation of fullness of the throat for quite a number of years. She had been confined in the oriental Mindoro Hospital from August 24 to Sept. 1, 1974 due to PHARYNX CONGESTION and body weakness. According to the findings of Dr. Carmen Leido Solitario, the claimant's attending physician at the Oriental Mindoro Provincial Hospital, as revealed in the herein Physician's Report of Sickness the claimant is suffering from essential hypertension, pharyngitis and PTB Minimal and that the probable cause is the nature of employment. Being a teacher she is subjected to hard work, tension and over use of her voice which predisposed her to hypertension and infections of the pharynx and lungs. Per physician's report the claimant's ailment has caused her total disability for labor for indefinite length of time.
IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, the judgment of the respondent Commission is hereby reversed and set aside, and that of the Acting Referee, Workmen's Compensation Unit, Regional Office No. 5, San Pablo City, is hereby reinstated with the further modification that respondent Republic (Bureau of Public Schools) should reimburse her for medical and hospital expenses properly receipted for until full recovery; pay to her lawyer 10% of the amount collected for disability benefits as attorney's fees and to the proper office P61.00 as administrative fee. Without pronouncement as to costs.
1.	Treated as Special Civil Action as per resolution of this Court dated June 25, 1976.
2.	Medical History of Illness, Exhibit "B."
4.	Talip v. WCC, G.R. No. 42571, May 31, 1976; Reynaldo v. Republic, G.R. No. L-43108, June 30, 1976; Simon v. Republic, G.R. No. L-42510, June 30, 1976.
5.	Magalona v. WCC & Nasso, 21 SCRA 1199; Cabinta, etc. v. WCC, G.R. No. 42639, July 30, 1976.
6.	Abana v. Quisumbing, 22 SCRA 1279.
7.	Magalona v. WCC, 21 SCRA 1199 citing Justiniano v. WCC, L-22774, November 21, 1966.
8.	Simon v. Republic, G.R. No. L-42510, June 30, 1976.
9.	Manila Railroad Co. v. WCC, L-21902, August 10, 1967.