6/5/2020
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indulge in the assumption that appeals by certiorari to the Supreme Court
are allowed would not subserve, but would subvert, the intention of
Congress as expressed in the sponsorship speech on Senate Bill No. 1495.
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Therefore, all references in the amended Section 9 of BP 129 to
supposed appeals from the NLRC to the Supreme Court are
interpreted and hereby declared to mean and refer to petitions for
certiorari under Rule 65. Consequently, all such petitions should therefore
be initially filed in the Court of Appeals in strict observance of the doctrine of
hiearchy of courts as the appropriate forum for the relief desired.[13]
Basically, this Court, in the abovecited case ruled as to the proper court within which to
file a remedy from the decisions of the NLRC. Based on the records, since the petition
of herein respondent was filed before the expiration of the period within which to file a
petition for certiorari under Rule 65, the CA, therefore, committed no error in not
dismissing and eventually deciding the case. Necessarily, if the mode of appeal is that
of a petition for review on certiorari under Rule 65, its reglementary period must be the
one followed.
Petitioner is, however, correct in its argument that the filing of the petition for certiorari
does not interrupt the course of the principal case. Section 7 of Rule 65 provides:
Sec. 7. Expediting proceedings; Injunctive relief. - The court in which the
petition is filed may issue orders expediting the proceedings, and it may also
grant a temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction for
the preservation of the rights of the parties pending such proceedings. The
petition shall not interrupt the course of the principal case unless a
temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction has been
issued enjoining the public respondent from further proceeding with the
case.
The public respondent shall proceed with the principal case within ten (10)
days from the filing of a petition for certiorari with a higher court or tribunal
absent a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction, or upon its
expiration. x x x
Nevertheless, after careful review of the records, this Court considers the findings of
fact of the Labor Arbiter, as affirmed by the NLRC, more plausible.
It is indisputable that Ildefonso was previously employed by the petitioners as Second
Engineer on board the vessel MV/ACX Magnolia to work for a duration of twelve (12)
months pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Contract of Employment entered
into by the parties on August 23, 2004, which was duly approved by the Philippine
Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
Based on the records, however, Ildefonso pre-terminated his contract of employment
with the petitioners when on April 9, 2005, he requested for a vacation leave effective
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