X. Rights to Benefits: Ignorance or Oversight?

Occupational Disease: Cancer of the Philippine Business Sector

Among the most common occupational diseases, work-related musculoskeletal diseases consistently grab the top spot since 2003. It is noticeable that the number of occupational diseases also increased by 34.29% from the 2007 data – 47,235 to 71894 cases.  Environmental factors, although not necessarily occupational factors, affect the continual rise in cases, but other external factors, such as lifestyle and genetic, are to be considered. Nonetheless, the data signifies clearly that there is heightened problem in occupational diseases in general that demands full attention from the concerned government agencies, employers and employees.

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IX. Disability Benefit Claims, Refusal and Dismissal

Occupational Disease: Cancer of the Philippine Business Sector

Like in any other claims, an investigation is imperative as stated in government and company policies. Oftentimes, the investigation reaches litigation through court hearing. This is the most difficult part – proving the claim and the liability of the employee and employer, respectively. Inauspiciously, it is safe to state that claimants who reach this stage are somehow luckier to have known such right exists. Hence, many Filipinos do not know the concept of company liabilities.

VIII. Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Standardization

Occupational Disease: Cancer of the Philippine Business Sector

There is an ongoing initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) – two leading agencies advocating occupational safety and health standardization and monitoring at an international scale – to assist developing nations on OSH matters through projects like “Healthy Cities” (a project that aims to “establish healthy public policy at the local level through health promotion).

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VII. Occupational Disease vis-à-vis Economic Standing

Occupational Disease: Cancer of the Philippines Business Sector

Another fatal occupational disease worthy of attention is tuberculosis (TB), also the sixth leading cause of mortality among Filipinos. Surveys show that it frequently appears on retired factory workers, especially the ones from industries utilizing chemical in production and wood works. However, its most prominent link is to cigarette smoking, both active and passive. On this ground, proving origin from the workplace is highly contestable.

Despite the obscurity on the basis of identifying TB as common occupational disease in the Philippines, international data on the top causes of mortality collected by the World Health Organization (WHO) show it as a prevalent reason for death only among low- and medium- income countries. It does not appear in high-income countries. According to The World Bank, the Philippines is classified as a lower-middle-income country.

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VI. Diseases: Occupational or Pre-existing?

Occupational Disease: Cancer of the Philippine Business Sector

In a report compiled by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) in 2009 and published in Philippine Industry Yearbook of Labor Statistics, work-related musculoskeletal diseases topped the list of occupational diseases in the Philippines. These are the lesser serious cases with include back and neck-shoulder pain, shoulder tendinitis and the infamous carpal tunnel syndrome, which is often developed from repetitive wrong posture of the hands while doing work in front of the computer.

Peptic ulcer and essential hypertensions follow next but may also be contested by employers as primary ailments or pre-existing conditions – illnesses that are either hereditary or possibly developed at an earlier time prior to employment.

V. Employment: Links and Probabilities

Occupational Disease: Cancer of the Philippine Business Sector

In the last couple of years, there is a significant increase in incidents of work-related illnesses in the country which prompted the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC), a branch of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) tasked to do continuous research and information dissemination on occupational safety and health, to recommend new entrees in the existing list of accepted occupational diseases. Occupational cancers such as lung cancer, bladder cancer, leukemia, liver cancer and three more related diseases lead the newly identified health cases to which qualified employees are protected against.

IV. Knowing Your Rights and Benefits

Occupational Disease: Cancer of the Philippine Business Sector

Stated in Chapter VI of the Labor Code are the declarations a patient can file, which are classified according to the status of the illness – temporary total disability, permanent total disability and permanent partial disability. Compensation benefits cover all disability categories under the Workmen’s Compensation Law (PD 626).

All Filipinos proven to be suffering from the backlash of working under hazardous and risky conditions are entitled to disability benefits unless disqualified under legally exempted circumstances.

III. Occupational Disease in International Perspective

Occupational Disease: Cancer of the Philippine Business Sector

The international community, especially the United States of America, doesn’t see the issue as a laughing matter. In fact, specializing research and regulating bodies have been established to cater to the cause and adhere to international standardizing guidelines in relation to occupational safety and health. These bodies commit to the improvement and more efficient management of Environment, Health and Safety within public and private organizations in a global scale.

II. Identifying the List

Occupational Disease: Cancer of the Philippine Business Sector

Among the health conditions considered as work-related sicknesses, either as direct effect or as complication arising from occupational risks, respiratory conditions are the most prone to aggravation that may develop to more serious ailments.

The following are the recognized occupational and compensable diseases as universally accepted.

I. What is Occupational Disease?

Occupational Disease: Cancer of the Philippine Business Sector

Occupational diseases in the Philippines are so common that common workers no longer know the difference between work-related diseases and hereditary or pre-existing illnesses. This awareness shortcoming results to the deprivation of rights which are all supported by Philippine law, and specifically, the labor code and Presidential Decree 626.