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819 Phil. 86
FIRST DIVISION
[ G.R. No. 206826, October 02, 2017 ]
CAREER PHILIPPINES SHIPMANAGEMENT, INC. AND COLUMBIAN
SHIPMANAGEMENT, LTD., PETITIONERS, VS. EDUARDO* J.
GODINEZ, RESPONDENT.
[G.R. No. 206828]
EDUARDO J. GODINEZ, PETITIONER, VS. CAREER PHILIPPINES
SHIPMANAGEMENT, INC. AND COLUMBIAN SHIPMANAGEMENT,
LTD., RESPONDENTS.
DECISION
DEL CASTILLO, J.:
The Court cringes at the thought, generated by the experience in this proceeding and in
past cases, that in spite of all the laws passed and jurisprudence created to level the
playing field for the disadvantaged worker, his plight continues against employers who
will stop at nothing to avoid their obligations by taking advantage of the worker's
weakness, ignorance, financial hardship, other handicap, or the cunning of their
lawyers.
Before us are consolidated Petitions for Review on Certiorari[1] assailing the May 22,
2012 Decision[2] of the Court of Appeals (CA) in CA-G.R. SP No. 105602, as well as its
April
18,
2013
Resolution[3]
denying
the
parties'
respective
Motions
for
Reconsideration.[4]
Factual Antecedents
Eduardo J. Godinez (Godinez) was hired by local manning agency Career Philippines
Shipmanagement, Inc. (Career), for its foreign principal Columbian Shipmanagement,
Ltd. (Columbian). He was assigned as Deck Cadet onboard the vessel "M/V Norviken."
His nine-month stint, covered by a Philippine Overseas Employment Administration
(POEA) Standard Employment Contract,[5] began on November 7, 2003.
Godinez was 20 years old at the time.
Prior to his employment, Godinez underwent a pre-employment medical examination
(PEME) consisting of a physical medical examination and psychological evaluation,
involving an intelligence and personality test, after which he was declared fit to work.
Particularly, Godinez's Psychological Evaluation[6] revealed "no significant manifestation
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