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over all money claims arising out of employer-employee relationships involving
overseas Filipino workers in the Labor Arbiters, to wit:
Section 10. Money Claims. – Notwithstanding any provision of law to the
contrary, the Labor Arbiters of the National Labor Relations Commission
(NLRC) shall have the original and exclusive jurisdiction to hear and decide,
within ninety (90) calendar days after the filing of the complaint, the claims
arising out of an employer-employee relationship or by virtue of any law or
contract involving Filipino workers for overseas deployment including claims
for actual, moral, exemplary and other forms of damages.
The jurisdiction over such claims was previously exercised by the POEA under the POEA
Rules and Regulations of 1991 (1991 POEA Rules).
On May 23, 1996, the POEA dismissed the complaint for disciplinary action. Petitioners
received the order of dismissal on July 24, 1996.[2]
Relying on Section 1, Rule V, Book VII of the 1991 POEA Rules, petitioners filed a
partial appeal on August 2, 1996 in the NLRC, still maintaining that respondents should
be administratively sanctioned for their conduct while they were on board MT
Seadance.
On March 21, 1997, the NLRC dismissed petitioners’ appeal for lack of jurisdiction,[3]
thus:
We dismiss the partial appeal.
The Commission has no jurisdiction to review cases decided by the POEA
Administrator involving disciplinary actions. Under the Migrant Workers and
Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, the Labor Arbiter shall have jurisdiction over
money claims involving employer-employee relationship (sec. 10, R.A.
8042). Said law does not provide that appeals from decisions arising from
complaint for disciplinary action rest in the Commission.
PREMISES CONSIDERED, instant appeal from the Order of May 23, 1996 is
hereby DISMISSED for lack of jurisdiction.
SO ORDERED.
Not satisfied, petitioners moved for reconsideration, but the NLRC denied their motion.
They received the denial on July 8, 1997.[4]
Petitioners then commenced in this Court a special civil action for certiorari and
mandamus. Citing St. Martin Funeral Homes v. National Labor Relations Commission,[5]
however, the Court referred the petition to the CA on November 25, 1998.
elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocsfriendly/1/55060
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