MI

RANT(
PHI
LIPPI
NES)CORPORATI ONv .J
OSELI
TO A.CARO
G.R.No.181490:Apr
il23,2014

Pet
i
ti
onf
orr
evi
ewoft
hedeci
si
onandr
esol
uti
onoft
heCA

FACTS:
•Car owashi redbyMi ranti n1994asi tsLogi sti
csO2c er
•In2002,Sout her nCompanywass ol
dt oMi rantanddur i
ngt hist i
mer espondentwas
alreadyasuper visoroft heLogi sti
c sandPur chas ingDepar tment
•Respondent5l edacompl aintf ori llegaldi smi ssalandmoneycl aimsf or13th and14th
mont h pay,bonuses,and ot her bene⇡t s,as wel las paymentofmor aland
exempl arydamagesandat t
or ney’ sfees
•Att het imeoft he5 li
ngoft hec ompl aint ,res pondentwasal r
eadyasuper visoratt he
Logi sticsandPur chasi ngDepar tment
•Nov .3,2004–pet i
tionerconduc tedar andom dr ugt estandr es pondentwasr andoml y
chosent obet es ted
•Respondentwasdul ynot i⇡edt hathewass chedul edt obet es t
edaf t
erl unchont he
sameday r ecei ptofnot icei sev idenc edbyhi ss i
gnat ur eont hec orrespondenc e
•Respondental legest hat :
o Ont hes amedayoft hedr ugt est,her ec eiv edaphonecal lfrom oneofhi s
wife’sc olleaguesi nformi nghi m ofabombi ngi nci dentneart hewor kplac eof
hi
swi fe t hati mmedi at ely,hepr oc eededt ot heI sraeliEmbass yt ocon5 rm
t
henews
o Bef orehel ef ttheo2c e,he5r stinf ormedt hes ec r
etar yofhi sdepar tment ,
I
rene Tor r
es,t hathe wi l
lpr iorit
izet he emer genc yphone c alland t hathe
woul dbebackassoonasher esolvedt hepr obl em
o Het ri
edt ocont acthi swi febutnev err eac hedher
o 6pm oft hesamedayhewentbac kt ot heo2ce
o He r ecei ved a t extmess age f r
om Ceci li
a,a memberoft he Dr ug Wat ch
Commi ttee,i nformi nghi mt opar t
ici
pat ei nt hes aidt es t
o Hei mmedi atelycal ledupCeci li
at oex plai nhi sf ail
uret os ubmi ttot het es t
andt hathewoul dsubmi ttot het estt hef ollowi ngday
•Nov .8,2004-Respondentr ec eivedaShow CauseNot icef rom Pet i
tionerr equiri
nghi m
to ex plaini n wr it
ing whyhe s houl d notbe c har ged wi th“ unj ustr efus altos ubmi tto
random dr ugt es ti
ng”
•Mi rant’sI nves t
igat ingPanelf oundr espondentgui ltyof“unj ust i
⇡edr efusalt osubmi t
tor andom dr ug t est ing”,r ecommendi ng a penal tyof4 wor king week ss uspens ion
wi t
houtpay ,andr ec ommendedpet i
ti
onert or eview i tspol i
cyonr andom dr ugt esti
ng,
es peci all
yont heambi gui ti
esoft heus eof“ unjus ti
5edr ef us al”
•Mi rant’sassi s tantvi c e pr es identr ec ommended t hatr es pondentbe t er minated f rom
empl oymenti nst ead ofbei ng suspended  ev en i fr espondentdi d notoutr ightl
y
refus ed t os ubmi tt ot est,he av oided t he s ame and “ avoidance”i ss ynonymous t o
“refus al”
•Pet it
ionercor por ational legest hat :
o Theyhav eal r
eadyf ul l
ys ettl
edt hecl aim ofr espondentasev i
denc edbya
qui tclai m whi chr espondentdul yexecut ed
o Theyar enotgui ltyofunf airlaborpr ac ticeasr espondent ’sdi smi ssalwasnot
i
ntendedt ocur tail hisr i
ghtt osel f
-or gani zat ion
 •LaborAr bi
terfoundrespondenttohavebeeni ll
egall
ydismissedandt hatt
hequi
t
clai
m
i
sacl earat
temptofthepeti
ti
onertomisl
eadr espondent’
scauseofac t
ion
•Pet
it
ionersappealedtoNati
onalLaborRelati
onsCommi t
tee(NLRC)
•NLRCgr antedappealandruledthatr
espondent’st
erminati
onisinorder
•Respondent5ledamot i
onforreconsi
der
ation CAdi sagreedwithNLRC

I
SSUE:W/
Nrespondentwasi
l
legal
l
ydi
smi
ssed

HELD:YES
•STATUTORYCONSTRUCTI ON
o Li ber als t
anc et owar dst hec ons tructi
onoft her ul
esofpr oc edur einor dert o
s erv eendsofs ubs tant i
al justi
ce
o The wor ki
ngman’ s wel fare s hould be t he pr i
mor dial and par amount
c onsi der at i
on
o Mi rantcor p.’sAnt i-Dr ugsPol icywer eunf ai
rand unr easonabl e i tis
notcl earonwhatc ons t
i
tut es“unj us t
i5edr efus al”
o “ Unj us tr efus al
”coul d notpos siblyc overal lf orms of“ r
efus al”as t he
empl oyee’ s r esistance, t o be puni shabl e wi th t ermi nat i
on, mus t be
“unj us ti
5 ed”
•LABORLAW
o I nt heex erciseofi t
smanagementpr erogat ve,anempl
i oy ermus tther efore
ens ur et hatt hepol icies,r ules,andr egul ationsonwor k-relatedac tivi
tiesof
theempl oyeesmus tal way sbef airandr easonabl eandt hecor respondi ng
penal ti
es,whenpr escr ibed,commensur at et ot heo-ensei nvol vedand
tot hedegr eeofi nf ract i
on
o Thes ubj ectpol icyi snotc l
earcr eat i
ngdoubtt hatres pondent ’
sdi smi ssalwas
ar es ultofpet i
ti
oner ’sv alidex erc i
s eofi t
smanagementpr er ogative
•REMEDI ALLAW
o Gener al Rul e:ALLDOUBTSSHALLBERESOLVEDI NFAVOROFLABOR
o Sect on4,LaborCode “
i alldoubt sIt hei mpl ement at i
onandi nterpretation
oft he pr ov isionsoft he LaborCode,i ncludi ng i
tsi mpl ement ing rulesand
regul ations,s hal l
ber esol vedi nf avorofl abor .”
o Ar ticle1702,New Ci vilCode “ inc as eofdoubt ,al llaborl egislati
onand
al llaborcont ractss hal lbec ons truedi nf av oroft hes afetyanddec entl i
ving
fort hel abor er.”
o LaborAr bit
ers tat
edt hat ,“WhenaconF i
cti
ngi nteres tofl aborandc apitalar e
wei ghedont hescal esofs oc i
alj ustice,t heheav ieri nF uenc eoft hel att
er
mus tbecount er-balanc edbyt hesympat hyandc ompas s i
ont hel aw mus t
acc ordt heunder privi
legedwor ker.”
•Theunr eas onabl enessoft hepenal tyoft ermi nationasi mpos edi nt hisc as ei sf urther
highli
ghted bya f actadmi tt
ed byt he pet i
tionerc orpor ati
on i tself:t hatf ort he 10- yr
.
periodt hatr espondenthadbeenempl oyedbypet itionercor por at i
on,hedi dnot
haveanyr ecor dofavi olationofi tscompanypol i
cies
•Quitcl
aims i neHect ivet obarc l
aimsf ort hef ullmeasur eoft hei rlegalr i
ght s,es pec i
all
y
inthiscasewher et heevi denc ec orres pondst ot heamountcl aimedasunpai dwages
the amount pai d under t he subj ectqui tclaim pr esent ed t he sal ar i
es oft he
respondentt
hatREMAINED UNPAI
D att
het
imeofhi
ster
minat
ionandNOTTHE
AMOUNTSBEI NG CLAI
MED