Continental Steel v. Montao G.R. No. 182836 October 13, 2009 Chico-Na ario, !.

"act#$ %ortillano, an e&'lo(ee o) 'etitioner Continental Steel Man*)act*rin+ Cor'oration ,Continental Steel- )ile. a clai& )or /aternit( 0eave, 1ereave&ent 0eave an. 2eath an. 3cci.ent 4n#*rance )or .e'en.ent, '*r#*ant to the Collective 1ar+ainin+ 3+ree&ent ,C13-. 5he clai& 6a# ba#e. on the .eath o) %ortillano7# *nborn chil.. %ortillano7# 6i)e ha. a 're&at*re .eliver( 6hile #he 6a# in the 38th 6ee8 o) 're+nanc(. 5he )e&ale )et*# .ie. .*rin+ labor .*e to )etal 3no9ia #econ.ar( to *tero'lacental in#*))icienc(. /etitioner i&&e.iatel( +rante. %ortillano7# clai& )or 'aternit( leave b*t .enie. hi# clai&# )or bereave&ent leave an. other .eath bene)it#. 4t 6a# &aintaine. b( %ortillano, thro*+h the 0abor :nion, that the 'rovi#ion# o) the C13 .i. not #'eci)icall( #tate that the .e'en.ent #ho*l. have )ir#t been born alive or &*#t have ac;*ire. <*ri.ical 'er#onalit( #o that hi#=her #*b#e;*ent .eath co*l. be covere. b( the C13 .eath bene)it#. /etitioner ar+*e. that the e9're## 'rovi#ion o) the C13 .i. not conte&'late the .eath o) an *nborn chil., a )et*#, 6itho*t le+al 'er#onalit(. 4t clai&e. that there are t6o ele&ent# )or the entitle&ent to the bene)it#, na&el($ ,1.eath an. ,2- #tat*# a# le+iti&ate .e'en.ent, none o) 6hich e9i#te. in %ortillano7# ca#e. Continental Steel conten.e. that onl( one 6ith civil 'er#onalit( co*l. .ie, rel(in+ on 3rticle# >0, >1 an. >2 o) the Civil Co.e.

%ence accor.in+ to the 'etitioner, the *nborn chil. never .ie. beca*#e it never ac;*ire. <*ri.ical 'er#onalit(. /rocee.in+ )ro& the #a&e line o) tho*+ht, Continental Steel rea#one. that a )et*# that 6a# .ea. )ro& the &o&ent o) .eliver( 6a# not a 'er#on at all. %ence, the ter& .e'en.ent co*l. not be a''lie. to a )et*# that never ac;*ire. <*ri.ical 'er#onalit(. 0abor arbiter Montao ar+*e. that the )et*# ha. the ri+ht to be #*''orte. b( the 'arent# )ro& the ver( &o&ent he=#he 6a# conceive.. 5he )et*# ha. to rel( on another )or #*''ort? he=#he co*l. not have e9i#te. or #*#taine. hi&#el)=her#el) 6itho*t the 'o6er or ai. o) #o&eone el#e, #'eci)icall(, hi#=her &other. /etitioner a''eale. 6ith the C3, 6ho a))ir&e. the 0abor 3rbiter7# re#ol*tion. %ence thi# 'etition. 4##*e#$ 1. @hether or not onl( one 6ith <*ri.ical 'er#onalit( can .ie 2. @hether or not a )et*# can be con#i.ere. a# a .e'en.ent 3. @hether or not an( a&bi+*it( in C13 'rovi#ion# #hall be #ettle. in )avor o) the e&'lo(ee %el.$ 1. No. 5he reliance o) Continental Steel on 3rticle# >0, >1 an. >2 o) the Civil Co.e )or the le+al .e)inition o) .eath i# &i#'lace.. 3rticle >0 'rovi.e# that a conceive. chil. ac;*ire# 'er#onalit( onl( 6hen it i# born, an. 3rticle >1 .e)ine# 6hen a chil. i# con#i.ere. born. 3rticle >2 'lainl( #tate# that civil 'er#onalit( i# e9tin+*i#he. b( .eath. 5he i##*e o) civil 'er#onalit( i# not relevant in thi# ca#e. 5he above 'rovi#ion# o) the Civil Co.e .o not 'rovi.e at all a .e)inition o) .eath. Moreover, 6hile the Civil Co.e e9're##l(

'rovi.e# that civil 'er#onalit( &a( be e9tin+*i#he. b( .eath, it .oe# not e9'licitl( #tate that onl( tho#e 6ho have ac;*ire. <*ri.ical 'er#onalit( co*l. .ie. 0i)e i# not #(non(&o*# 6ith civil 'er#onalit(. One nee. not ac;*ire civil 'er#onalit( )ir#t be)ore he=#he co*l. .ie. Aven a chil. in#i.e the 6o&b alrea.( ha# li)e. No le## than the Con#tit*tion reco+ni e# the li)e o) the *nborn )ro& conce'tion, that the State &*#t 'rotect e;*all( 6ith the li)e o) the &other. 4) the *nborn alrea.( ha# li)e, then the ce##ation thereo) even 'rior to the chil. bein+ .elivere., ;*ali)ie# a# .eath. 2. Be#. Aven an *nborn chil. i# a .e'en.ent o) it# 'arent#. %ortillano7# chil. co*l. not have reache. 38-39 6ee8# o) it# +e#tational li)e 6itho*t .e'en.in+ *'on it# &other, %ortillano7# 6i)e, )or #*#tenance. 5he C13 .i. not 'rovi.e a ;*ali)ication )or the chil. .e'en.ent, #*ch that the chil. &*#t have been born or &*#t have ac;*ire. civil 'er#onalit(. @itho*t #*ch ;*ali)ication, then chil. #hall be *n.er#too. in it# &ore +eneral #en#e, 6hich incl*.e# the *nborn )et*# in the &other7# 6o&b.

3. 5i&e an. a+ain, the 0abor Co.e i# #'eci)ic in en*nciatin+ that in ca#e o) .o*bt in the inter'retation o) an( la6 or 'rovi#ion a))ectin+ labor, #*ch #ho*l. be inter'rete. in )avor o) labor. 4n the #a&e 6a(, the C13 an. C13 'rovi#ion# #ho*l. be inter'rete. in )avor o) labor. 3# .eci.e. b( thi# Co*rt, an( .o*bt concernin+ the ri+ht# o) labor #ho*l. be re#olve. in it# )avor '*r#*ant to the #ocial <*#tice 'olic(. ,5er&inal "acilitie# an. Service# Cor'oration v. N0RC C199 SCR3 26D ,1991-E1ereave&ent leave an. other .eath bene)it# are +rante. to an e&'lo(ee to +ive ai. to, an. i) 'o##ible, le##en the +rie) o), the #ai. e&'lo(ee an. hi# )a&il( 6ho #*))ere. the lo## o) a love. one. 4t cannot be #ai. that the 'arent#7 +rie) an. #en#e o) lo## ari#in+ )ro& the .eath o) their *nborn chil., 6ho, in thi# ca#e, ha. a +e#tational li)e o) 38-39 6ee8# b*t .ie. .*rin+ .eliver(, i# an( le## than that o) 'arent# 6ho#e chil. 6a# born alive b*t .ie. #*b#e;*entl(.