Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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G.R. No. 111934. April 29, 1998.
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* SECOND DIVISION.
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MARTINEZ, J.:
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This petition for certiorari assails the Decision dated June
30, 1993 of the National Labor Relations Commission
ordering petitioner to reinstate private respondent Virginia
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Antiola, with one year backwages; and the Order dated
August 30, 1993 denying the motion for reconsideration.
The challenged ruling reversed the decision dated April 26,
1990 of Labor Arbiter Arturo V. Casuco dismissing the
complaint for unfair labor practice and illegal dismissal for
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lack of merit.
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II
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day period. This is in line with the objective of the law for
speedy disposition of labor cases with the end in view of
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protecting the interest of the working man. In subsequent
cases, We ruled that if the tenth day to perfect an appeal
from the decision of the Labor Arbiter to the NLRC falls on
a Saturday, the appeal shall be made on the next working
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day, as embodied in Section 1, Rule VI of the NLRC Rules
of Procedure promulgated on January 14, 1992. This
conclusion arrived at by the Court recognizes the fact that
on Saturdays the offices of NLRC and certain post offices
are closed.
Private respondent filed her appeal on the twelfth
calendar day following receipt of the copy of the labor
arbiter’s decision, since the tenth day, May 12, 1990, is a
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Saturday. Following the above enunciated doctrine, the
filing of the appeal on May 14, 1990, the next working day,
is considered to be within the reglementary period provided
for by law, hence, seasonably made.
Even assuming arguendo that the appeal was filed
beyond the period allowed by law, We have at times
overlooked this particular procedural lapse. In the case of
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Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. v. Larosa and reiterated in
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Chong Guan Trading vs. NLRC this Court allowed the
filing of appeals from the decisions of the labor arbiter to
the NLRC, even if filed beyond the reglementary period, in
the interest of justice. Thus, technical rules of procedure in
labor cases are not to be strictly applied if the result would
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be detrimental to the working man. Technicality should
not be permitted to stand
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16 Lopez, Jr. vs. National Labor Relations Commission, 245 SCRA 644.
17 Article XIII, Section 3, 1987 Constitution; Section 9, Article II, 1973
Constitution.
18 Cruz vs. Medina, G.R. No. 73053, 15 September 1989, 177 SCRA 565;
International Harvester Macleod, Inc. v. IAC, G.R. No. 73287, May 18,
1987, 149 SCRA 641.
19 Rance, et al. vs. NLRC, G.R. No. 68147, June 30, 1988, 163 SCRA
279; Offshore Industries, Inc. vs. NLRC, G.R. No. 83108, Aug. 29, 1989,
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177 SCRA 50; Century Textile Mills, Inc., et al. vs. NLRC, et al., G.R. No.
77859, May 25, 1988, 161 SCRA 528.
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28 Maranaw Hotels and Resorts Corp. vs. CA, 215 SCRA 501 (1992);
Sealand Service, Inc. v. NLRC, 190 SCRA 347 (1990); Lantion v. NLRC,
181 SCRA 513 (1990).
29 C. Alcantara and Sons, Inc. v. NLRC, 229 SCRA 109 [1994]; Mercury
Drug Co., Inc. vs. Court of Industrial Relations, 56 SCRA 696 [1974].
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