Section 5June 18, 1954, Sec./Art. 5

Settlement of Disputes. (a) Any dispute arising under this Act with respect to coverage, benefits, contributions and penalties thereon or any other matter related thereto, shall be cognizable by the Commission, and any case filed with respect thereto shall be heard by the Commission, or any of its members, or by hearing officers duly authorized by the Commission and decided within twenty days after the submission of the evidence. The filing, determination and settlement of disputes shall be governed by the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission. (As amended by Sec. 3, R.A. 2658; Sec. 2, R.A. 4857; and Sec. 3, P.D. No. 735, S-1975)

(b) Appeal to Courts. Any decision of the Commission, in the absence of an appeal therefrom as herein provided, shall become final fifteen days after the date of notification, and judicial review thereof shall be permitted only after any party claiming to be aggrieved thereby has exhausted his remedies before the Commission. The Commission shall be deemed to be a party to any judicial action involving any such decision, and may be represented by an attorney employed by the Commission, or when requested by the Commission, by the Solicitor General or any fiscal.

(c) Court Review. The decision of the Commission upon any disputed matter may be received both upon the law and the facts by the Court of Appeals. For the purpose of such review the procedure concerning appeals from the Court of First Instance shall be followed as far as practicable and consistent with the purposes of this Act. Appeal from a decision of the Commission must be taken within fifteen days from notification of such decision.

If the decision of the Commission involves only questions of law, the same shall be reviewed by the Supreme Court. No appeal bond shall be required. The case shall be heard in a summary manner, and shall take precedence over all cases, except that in the Supreme Court, criminal cases wherein life imprisonment or death has been imposed by the trial court shall take precedence. No appeal shall act as a supersedeas or a stay of the order of the Commission, unless the Commission itself, or the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court, shall so order.

(d) Execution of decisions Any decision or award of the Commission after the same has become final and executory shall be enforced and executed in the same manner as decisions of Courts of First Instance and the Commission shall have the power to issue to the City or provincial sheriff or the sheriff whom it may appoint such writs of execution as may be necessary for the enforcement of such decision or award and any person who shall fail or refuse to comply with such decision, award, or writ, after being required to do so shall, upon application by the Commission, be punished by the proper court for contempt. (As amended by Sec. 4, P.D. No. 24, S-1972)