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Acuna Vs CA - Labor Law Digest

This case involves three Filipino workers, petitioners, who were employed by Join International Corporation to work for two years at a factory in China. Upon arriving, petitioners found the living conditions substandard and worked 12 hour shifts. They resigned after one week. Petitioners filed a case claiming illegal dismissal and demanding unpaid wages and benefits. The Court ruled there was no illegal dismissal as petitioners resigned voluntarily due to difficult but legal working conditions. Petitioners failed to prove bad faith or illegal acts by the employer. The Court did grant overtime pay but did not award moral or exemplary damages since no malicious intent or gross negligence was shown by the employer. Settlement amounts paid to petitioners were also found to be valid.

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479 views

Acuna Vs CA - Labor Law Digest

This case involves three Filipino workers, petitioners, who were employed by Join International Corporation to work for two years at a factory in China. Upon arriving, petitioners found the living conditions substandard and worked 12 hour shifts. They resigned after one week. Petitioners filed a case claiming illegal dismissal and demanding unpaid wages and benefits. The Court ruled there was no illegal dismissal as petitioners resigned voluntarily due to difficult but legal working conditions. Petitioners failed to prove bad faith or illegal acts by the employer. The Court did grant overtime pay but did not award moral or exemplary damages since no malicious intent or gross negligence was shown by the employer. Settlement amounts paid to petitioners were also found to be valid.

Uploaded by

George Panda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Acua vs CA (2006) G.R.

159832
MERCEDITA ACUA, MYRNA RAMONES, and JULIET MENDEZ, Petitioners, vs. HON. COURT OF APPEALS and JOIN
INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION and/or ELIZABETH ALAON,Responents.
!acts"
Petitioners are !i#ipino overseas $or%ers ep#o&e '& private responent (oin )nternationa# Corporation (()C), a
#icense recruit*ent a+enc&, to its principa#, 3, Pre-Co#or P#astic, )nc., (3,) in .ai$an, Repu'#ic o/ C0ina,
uner a uni/or*#&-$ore e*p#o&*ent contract /or a perio o/ t$o &ears. Private responent 1#i2a'et0 A#aon
is t0e presient o/ (oin )nternationa# Corporation.
3o*eti*e in 3epte*'er 1999, petitioners /i#e $it0 private responents app#ications /or e*p#o&*ent a'roa.
A/ter t0eir papers $ere processe, petitioners c#ai*e t0e& si+ne a uni/or*#&-$ore e*p#o&*ent contract
$it0 private responents $0ic0 stipu#ate t0at t0e& $ere to $or% as *ac0ine operators $it0 a *ont0#& sa#ar& o/
4.515,860.00, e7c#usive o/ overti*e, /or a perio o/ t$o &ears.
8n ,ece*'er 9, 1999, t0e& #e/t /or .ai$an. 9pon arrivin+ at t0e :o' site, a /actor& o$ne '& 3,, t0e& $ere
*ae to si+n anot0er contract $0ic0 state t0at t0eir sa#ar& $as on#& 4.511,860.00. .0e& $ere in/or*e t0at
t0e or*itor& $0ic0 $ou# serve as t0eir #ivin+ ;uarters $as sti## uner construction. .0e& $ere re;ueste to
te*porari#& 'ear $it0 t0e inconvenience 'ut $ere assure t0at t0eir or*itor& $ou# 'e co*p#ete in a s0ort
ti*e. Petitioners a##e+e t0at t0e& $ere 'rou+0t to a <s*a## roo* $it0 a ce*ent /#oor so irt& an s*e##in+ $it0
/ou# oor<. !ort& $o*en $ere :a*pac%e in t0e roo* an eac0 person $as +iven a pi##o$. 3ince t0e #aies=
co*/ort roo* $as out o/ orer, t0e& 0a to as% per*ission to use t0e *en=s co*/ort roo*. Petitioners c#ai* t0e&
$ere *ae to $or% t$e#ve 0ours a a&, /ro* 8"00 p.*. to 8"00 a.*.
8n ,ece*'er 16, 1999, ue to un'eara'#e $or%in+ conitions, t0e& $ere constraine to in/or* *ana+e*ent t0at
t0e& $ere #eavin+. .0e& 'oo%e a /#i+0t 0o*e, at t0eir o$n e7pense. >e/ore t0e& #e/t, t0e& $ere *ae to si+n a
$ritten $aiver. )n aition, petitioners $ere not pai an& sa#ar& /or $or% renere on ,ece*'er 11-15, 1999.
)**eiate#& upon arriva# in t0e P0i#ippines, petitioners $ent to private responents= o//ice, narrate $0at
0appene, an e*ane t0e return o/ t0eir p#ace*ent /ees an p#ane /are. Private responents re/use.
8n ,ece*'er 28, 1999, private responents o//ere a sett#e*ent. Petitioner ?ene2 receive P15,080. .0e ne7t
a&, petitioners Acua an Ra*ones $ent 'ac% an receive P13,660 10 an P16,200, respective#&. .0e& c#ai*
t0e& si+ne a $aiver, ot0er$ise t0e& $ou# not 'e re/une.
8n (anuar& 16, 2000, petitioners Acua an ?ene2 invo%in+ Repu'#ic Act 4o. 8062 /i#e a co*p#aint /or
i##e+a# is*issa# an non-pa&*ent@unerpa&*ent o/ sa#aries or $a+es, overti*e pa&, re/un o/ transportation
/are, pa&*ent o/ sa#aries@$a+es /or 3 *ont0s, *ora# an e7e*p#ar& a*a+es, an re/un o/ p#ace*ent /ee 'e/ore
t0e 4ationa# Aa'or Re#ations Co**ission (4ARC).

)ssue" B0et0er or not petitioners $ere i##e+a##& is*isse uner Rep. Act 4o. 8062, t0us entit#in+ t0e* to
'ene/its p#us a*a+es.

Ce#" 4o i##e+a# is*issa#. Consr!"#$% d#s&#ssa' "o$%rs (% #n$o'!nar) r%s#*na#on r%sor%d o +(%n
"on#n!%d %&,'o)&%n -%"o&%s #&,oss#-'%, !nr%asona-'% or !n'#.%')/ +(%n (%r% #s a d%&o#on #n ran. or
a d#&#n!#on #n ,a)/ or +(%n a "'%ar d#s"r#&#na#on, #ns%ns#-#'#) or d#sda#n -) an %&,'o)%r -%"o&%s
!n-%ara-'% o an %&,'o)%%. Court /oun t0at petitioners i not en& t0at t0e acco**oations $ere not as
0o*e#& as e7pecte. Petitioners= a*itte t0at t0e& $ere to# '& t0e principa#, upon t0eir arriva#, t0at t0e
or*itor& $as sti## uner construction an $ere re;ueste to 'ear $it0 t0e te*porar& inconvenience an t0e
or*itor& $ou# soon 'e /inis0e. Petitioners i not re/ute private responents= assertion t0at t0e& 0a
ep#o&e appro7i*ate#& si7t& ot0er $or%ers to t0eir principa#, an to t0e 'est o/ t0eir %no$#e+e, no ot0er
$or%er assi+ne to t0e sa*e principa# 0as resi+ne, *uc0 #ess, /i#e a case /or i##e+a# is*issa#. .0ese cite
circu*stances o not re/#ect *a#ice '& private responents nor o t0e& s0o$ t0e principa#=s intention to su':ect
petitioners to un0ea#t0& acco**oations. 9ner t0ese /acts, $e cannot ru#e t0at t0ere $as constructive
is*issa#.
8verti*e pa& is +rante espite petitioners #ac% o/ proo/ t0at t0e& actua##& renere overti*e $or%, since t0eir
e*p#o&*ent recors $ere in t0e custo& o/ t0e principa# e*p#o&er. I #s a #&%0(onor%d r!'% (a #n
"onro$%rs#%s -%+%%n a +or.%r and (#s %&,'o)%r, do!-s r%asona-') ar#s#n* 1ro& (% %$#d%n"%, or #n (%
#n%r,r%a#on o1 a*r%%&%ns and +r##n* s(o!'d -% r%so'$%d #n (% +or.%r2s 1a$or. private responents are
so#iari#& #ia'#e $it0 t0e /orei+n principa# /or t0e overti*e pa& c#ai*s o/ petitioners.
8n t0e a$ar o/ *ora# an e7e*p#ar& a*a+es, $e 0o# t0at suc0 a$ar #ac%s #e+a# 'asis. Mora' and
%3%&,'ar) da&a*%s ar% r%"o$%ra-'% on') +(%r% (% d#s&#ssa' o1 an %&,'o)%% +as a%nd%d -) -ad 1a#( or
1ra!d, or "ons#!%d an a" o,,r%ss#$% o 'a-or, or +as don% #n a &ann%r "onrar) o &ora's, *ood
"!so&s or ,!-'#" ,o'#"). .0e person c#ai*in+ *ora# a*a+es *ust prove t0e e7istence o/ 'a /ait0 '& c#ear
an convincin+ evience, /or t0e #a$ a#$a&s presu*es +oo /ait0. Petitioners /ai#e to prove 'a /ait0, /rau or
i## *otive on t0e part o/ private responents. ?ora# a*a+es cannot 'e a$are.
Bit0out t0e a$ar o/ *ora# a*a+es, t0ere can 'e no a$ar o/ e7e*p#ar& a*a+es, nor attorne&=s /ees.
Duitc#ai*s are va#i. Duitc#ai*s e7ecute '& t0e e*p#o&ees are co**on#& /ro$ne upon as contrar& to pu'#ic
po#ic& an ine//ective to 'ar c#ai*s /or t0e /u## *easure o/ t0e $or%ers= #e+a# ri+0ts, consierin+ t0e econo*ic
isavanta+e o/ t0e e*p#o&ee an t0e inevita'#e pressure upon 0i* '& /inancia# necessit&. 4onet0e#ess, t0e so-
ca##e <econo*ic i//icu#ties an /inancia# crises< a##e+e#& con/rontin+ t0e e*p#o&ee is not an accepta'#e
+roun to annu# t0e co*pro*ise a+ree*ent un#ess it is acco*panie '& a +ross isparit& 'et$een t0e actua#
c#ai* an t0e a*ount o/ t0e sett#e*ent.
Recors revea# t0at petitioners $ere not in an& $a& eceive, coerce or inti*iate into si+nin+ a ;uitc#ai*
$aiver in t0e a*ounts o/ P13,660, P15,080 an P16,200 respective#&. 4or $as t0ere a isparit& 'et$een t0e
a*ount o/ t0e ;uitc#ai* an t0e a*ount actua##& ue t0e petitioners. A/ter conversion to P0i#ippine pesos, t0e
a*ount o/ t0e ;uitc#ai* pai to petitioners $as actua##& 0i+0er t0an t0e a*ount ue t0e*.
4HEREFORE, t0e petition is DISMISSED, $it0out pre:uice to t0e /i#in+ o/ i##e+a# recruit*ent co*p#aint a+ainst
t0e responents pursuant to 3ection 6(i) o/ .0e ?i+rant Bor%ers an 8verseas !i#ipino Act o/ 1995 (Rep. Act 4o.
8062).

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