Preamble
WHEREAS, the Employee's Compensation Commission in pursuance its objectives to achieve labor justice for victim of employment-related contingencies, must constantly keen pace with and remain responsive to challenges of emerging concepts of employees compensation in particular and social security in general, and the changing patterns of social and economic development; WHEREAS, as a result of discussions and consultations with the GSIS and PMCC, it is necessary to harmonize simplify and correlate provisions of the Labor Code of the Philippines with other laws, decrees and issuances administered and implemented by administering agencies of the Employees' Compensation Program; WHEREAS, the present economic crisis requires the Government to institute emergency and extraordinary measures toward providing further protection and financial relief to workers and their families, to help mitigate the harsh effects of inflation on their living expenses; and WHEREAS, Through judicious management of the State Insurance Fund that the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System administer for the private sector and the public service, respectively, the Fund has accumulated enough reserves to enlarge the benefit structure of covered employees without the need for additional premium contributions from employers. NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law and the Constitution, do hereby order and decree: