THIRD DIVISION
[G.R. No. 149578. April 10, 2003]
EVELYN TOLOSA, petitioner, vs. NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS
COMMISSION, QWANA KAIUN (through its resident-agent,
FUMIO NAKAGAWA), ASIA BULK TRANSPORT PHILS. INC.,
PEDRO GARATE and MARIO ASIS, respondents.
DECISION
PANGANIBAN, J.:
As a rule, labor arbiters and the National Labor Relations Commission have no
power or authority to grant reliefs from claims that do not arise from employer-employee
relations. They have no jurisdiction over torts that have no reasonable causal
connection to any of the claims provided for in the Labor Code, other labor statutes, or
collective bargaining agreements.
The Case
The Petition for Review before us assails the April 18, 2001 Decision [1] of the Court
of Appeals (CA) in CA-GR SP No. 57660, as well as the April 17, 2001 CA
Resolution[2] denying petitioners Motion for Reconsideration. The dispositive portion of
the challenged Decision reads as follows:
WHEREFORE, premises considered, the instant petition for certiorari is
hereby DENIED and accordingly DISMISSED, without prejudice to the right of
herein petitioner to file a suit before the proper court, if she so desires. No
pronouncement as to costs.
[3]
The Facts
The appellate court narrated the facts of the case in this manner:
Evelyn Tolosa (hereafter EVELYN), was the widow of Captain Virgilio Tolosa
(hereafter CAPT. TOLOSA) who was hired by Qwana-Kaiun, through its manning
agent, Asia Bulk Transport Phils. Inc., (ASIA BULK for brevity), to be the master of