Preamble
WHEREAS, the prudent administration of the Employees' Compensation Program and the judicious management of the State Insurance Fund have resulted in the accumulation of surplus that is sufficient to enable the Employees' Compensation Commission to enlarge the benefit structure for covered employees without necessarily requiring additional premium contributions from employers;WHEREAS, the Employees' Compensation Commission, in pursuance of its desire to achieve labor justice for victims of work-connected contingencies, must ensure and maintain adequate and prompt delivery of social security services in terms of continually upgraded benefits to keep pace with changing social-economic development; and WHEREAS, the Government Service Insurance System and the Social Security System which are major administering agencies of the Employees' Compensation Program and the State Insurance Fund under the umbrella of the Employees' Compensation Commission have instituted already the upgrading of benefits for non-work-related claims for their respective members; NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree that: