G.R.No.

127768.November19,1999
UNITEDAI RLI
NESvs
.WILLIEJ.UY
BELLOSILLO,J.
:

Fac
ts:

On13Oc tober1989r espondentWi ll

ieJ.Uy,ar ev enuepas sengeronUni t
edAi r
linesfort heSanFr anc i
sco-
Mani l
aroute,chec kedint oget herwithhi sluggageonepi eceofwhi chwasf oundtobeov erweightatt heairl
inec ount er
.
Anempl oyeeofpet iti
oners ai
dt hathes houldhav eknownt hemax imum wei ghtall
owanc etobe70kgs .perbagandt hat
hes houl
dhav epac kedhi sthingsac cordingly.Shet ol
dr espondentt or epackhisthingsandt r
ansfersomeoft hem f rom
theov er
weightl uggaget ot hel i
ghterones .Res pondentac cededonl ytof i
ndhisluggages ti
lloverweight.Theairli
net hen
bil
ledhim ov erweightc hargeswhi c hheof feredtopaywi thami scell
aneousc hargeorder( MCO)oranai r
li
nepr e-paid
credit
.Howev er,theai rl
inesempl oyee,andl aterit
sairports upervi
sor,adamant l
yrefusedtohonort heMCOpoi ntingout
thattherewer ec onfli
cti
ngf igureslist
edoni t
.Respondentpai dtheov erweightchargeswithhi sAmer icanExpres scredit
card.

Uponarri
valinMani l
a,hediscover
edt hatoneofhi sbagshadbeens lashedanditscontentsstol
en.Henot i
fied
peti
ti
onerofhislossandr equest
edreimbursementt hereof.Petit
ionerUnitedAirli
nes,t
hroughCent r
alBaggageSpecial
ist
JoanKroll
,di
dnotr efuteanyofrespondentsal
legati
onsandmai l
edac heckrepresenti
ngthepaymentofhi slossbas
edon
themax i
mum liabil
it
yofUS$9. 70perpound.Res pondent .Defendants entt wo(2)mor elett
erst opetiti
onerairl
ine
demandinganout -
of- c
ourtsett
lementofP1,000,000.00.Petiti
onerUnitedAirl
inesdidnotac c
edet ohisdemands.

Respondentfi
led acomplai
ntfordamagesagai
nstUni
ted Air
li
nes.Uni
ted Ai
rl
inesmoved t
o dismi
ssthe
c
ompl
aintonthegroundthatr
espondent
scaus
eofact
ionhadpr
esc
ribed,i
nvoki
ngAr
t.29oftheWars
awConv enti
on.

Thetri
alc
ourtor
deredthedi
smi
ssaloftheac
tionholdingt
hatthelanguageofAr
t.29i
scl
eart
hatt
heac
tion
mus
tbebroughtwi
thi
ntwo(2)year
sfr
om t
hedateofar
rivalatt
hedesti
nat
ion.

Respondentf i
ledhisnot iceofappeal.UnitedAirl
inesonc eagai
nmov edforthedismi
ssalofthec asethi
st i
me
point
ingoutt hatrespondentsf i
fteen(15)
- dayperi
odt oappealhadalreadyel
apsed.Tt
heappell
atecourtgaveduec ourse
totheappealhol di
ngt hatr
espondent sdelayoft wo( 2)daysinfil
inghi
snotic
eofappealdidnothinderitfr
om revi
ewing
theappealedor derofdismis
s alsi
nc ejur
isprudencedictat
est hatanappealmaybeent er
tai
neddespit
epr ocedur
allapses
anchoredonequi tyandjust
ice.

Ontheappl icabil
ityoftheWar saw Conventi
on,theappellatecourtrul
edthattheWar saw Conventiondidnot
precludetheoperationoft heCi
v i
lCodeandot herpert
inentlaws.Respondentsfai
lur
etofil
ehiscomplaintwithinthetwo
(2)
-yearlimit
ati
onpr ovidedintheWar sawConv enti
ondidnotbarhi sact
ionsincehecouldsti
llhol
dpet i
tionerli
abl
ef or
breachofot herpr ov i
sionsoft heCivilCodewhi chpr escr
ibeadi ff
erentperi
odorpr ocedureforinst
ituti
nganac t
ion.
Further,underPhil
ippinel aws,presc
riptionofac t
ionsisint
erruptedwhere,amongot her
s,thereisawr i
ttenex t
raj
udici
al
demandbyt hecreditors.

I
ssue:

Whet
herornott
heappel
lat
ecour
ter
redi
nrul
i
ngt
hatr
espondent
'sc
aus
eofac
tionhasnotpr
esc
ribed.

Rul
ing:

TheWar sawConv enti

onc anbeappl ied,ori gnored,dependingont hepeculi
arf actspres entedbyeac hc ase.The
Convent i
on'sprovisi
onsdonotr egulateorex cludeliabil
it
yf orotherbr eachesofcontr actbythec arri
erormi sconduc tof
i
tsof f
icersandempl oy ees,orforsomepar ticularorex ceptionaltypeofdamage.Nei thermayt heConv enti
onbei nvoked
tojusti
fyt hedisregardofs omeex traordinarys ortofdamager esul
tingtoapas sengerandpr ec l
uder ecover
yt her ef
or
beyondt helimitssetbys aidConv ention.Likewi se,theConv ent
iondoesnotpr ecl
udet heoperationoft heCivi
lCodeand
otherpertinentlaws.Itdoesnotr egulate,muc hl essexempt ,thec arr
ierfrom l
iabi
li
tyf ordamagesf orv iol
ati
ngt her i
ghts
ofitspas s
engersundert hec ontr
ac tofc arr
iage,es pec i
all
yifwi l
lfulmisconductont hepar toft hec arrier'
sempl oyeesis
foundores tabl
ished.

Respondent'
scompl
aintr
eveal
st hatheiss ui
ngont wo(2)causesofact
ion:(a)theshabbyandhumi
li
ati
ng
t
reat
ment he recei
ved f
rom pet
iti
oner'
s employees at t
he San Franci
sco Ai
rport whic
hc aused hi
m ex
treme
embar
ras
smentands
oci
alhumi
li
ati
on;and,(
b)t
hes
las
hingofhi
sluggageandt
hel
ossofhi
sper
sonalef
fec
tsamount
ing
toUS$5,
310.
00.

Whilehi
ssecondcauseofac t
ion-anactionfordamagesari
si
ngfrom t
heftordamaget opr
opert
yorgoods-is
wel
lwithi
nt heboundsoft heWar saw Conv
ention,hisfi
rstcaus
eofaction-anacti
onf ordamagesari
singf
rom t
he
mis
conductoftheai
rl
ineemployeesandtheviol
ationofres
pondent'
sri
ght
saspas s
enger-clear
lyi
snot.

Thefi
rstcauseofacti
onisconcer
ned,r
es pondent
'sfai
lur
et of
il
ehiscomplai
ntwithi
nthetwo(2)-yearli
mitat
ion
oftheWar s
aw Conventi
ondoesnotbarhi sac
tions i
ncepet i
ti
onerair
li
nemays til
lbeheldli
abl
ef orbreachofot her
prov
isi
onsoftheCi vi
lCodewhi chpres
cri
beadi f
ferentperi
odorpr ocedur
eforinsti
tut
ingtheacti
on,spec i
fi
cal
ly
,Ar t
.
1146ther
eofwhichprescr
ibesfour(
4)year
sforfi
li
nganac ti
onbas edontort
s.

Asforr espondent '

ss econdc aus eofac tion,indeedt hetravauxpr eparator i
esoft heWar s awConv ent i
onr eveal
thatthedelegatesther etointendedt het wo( 2)-yearlimit
ationincorpor at
edi nAr t.29asanabs olut ebartos uitandnot
tobemades ubjecttot hev ari
oust oll
ingpr ovis
ionsoft helawsoft hef orum.Thi st herefor
ef or
eclos estheappl ic
ati
onof
ourownr ul
esoni nt errupti
onofpr escr i
pt i
veper iods.Sincei tisindisputablethatr espondentfiledt hepres entac t
ion
beyondt hetwo( 2)-yeart i
mef ramehi ss econdc aus eofac tionmus tbebar red.Nonet hel
ess,i
tcannotbedoubt edthat
respondentexertedef f
or tstoimmedi at el
yc onveyhi slosstopet i
ti
oner ,evenempl oy edt heservi
cesoft wo(2)l awyersto
fol
lowuphi sclai
ms ,andt hatthef i
li
ngoft heac t
ioni ts
elfwasdel ayedbec auseofpet i
tioner'
sevasi
on.

Veril
y,r espondentf il
edhiscompl aintmor ethantwo(2)yearslater,beyondt heper iodofl i
mitati
onpr escri
bedby
theWar s
aw Conv ent i
onf orf i
li
ngac l
aimf ordamages .However,itisobv i
oust hatr espondentwasf orestal
ledfrom
i
mmedi at
elyfi
linganac ti
onbec ausepetit
ionerai rl
i
negav ehi
mt her unaround,ans weringhi slet
tersbutnotgi v
inginto
hisdemands .Tr ue,r espondents houldhav ealreadyf i
l
edanac t
ionatt hef irs
ti ns
tancewhenhi sc l
aimswer edeniedby
peti
tionerbutthes amec oul
donl ybeduet ohi sdesiretomakeanout -of-courtsettl
ementf orwhi chhec annotbef aul
ted.
Art.29oft heWar saw Conv enti
ons hal
lnotbeappl i
edintheinstantc asebec auseoft hedel ay
ingt ac
t i
csempl oyedby
peti
tionerair
li
nei t
self.Thus,privat
er es
pondent '
ssecondcauseofac ti
onc annotbec ons i
der edast i
me-bar r
edunderAr t.
29oft heWar sawConv enti
on.