ST

Published on January 2017 | Categories: Documents | Downloads: 61 | Comments: 0 | Views: 375
of 4
Download PDF   Embed   Report

Comments

Content

ST. LUKE'S MEDICAL CENTER EMPLOYEE'S ASSOCIATION-AFW (SLMCEA-AFW)
AND MARIBEL S. SANTOS,Petitioners,
vs.
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS COMMISSION (NLRC) AND ST. LUKE'S MEDICAL
CENTER, INC.,Respondents.
DECISION
AZCUNA, J.:
Challenged in this petition for review on certiorari is the Decision1 of the Court of
Appeals (CA) dated January 29, 2004 in CA-G.R. SP No. 75732 affirming the
decision2 dated August 23, 2002 rendered by the National Labor Relations Commission
(NLRC) in NLRC CA No. 026225-00.
The antecedent facts are as follows:
Petitioner Maribel S. Santos was hired as X-Ray Technician in the Radiology
department of private respondent St. Luke's Medical Center, Inc. (SLMC) on October
13, 1984. She is a graduate of Associate in Radiologic Technology from The Family
Clinic Incorporated School of Radiologic Technology.
On April 22, 1992, Congress passed and enacted Republic Act No. 7431 known as the
"Radiologic Technology Act of 1992." Said law requires that no person shall practice or
offer to practice as a radiology and/or x-ray technologist in the Philippines without
having obtained the proper certificate of registration from the Board of Radiologic
Technology.
On September 12, 1995, the Assistant Executive Director-Ancillary Services and HR
Director of private respondent SLMC issued a final notice to all practitioners of
Radiologic Technology to comply with the requirement of Republic Act No. 7431 by
December 31, 1995; otherwise, the unlicensed employee will be transferred to an area
which does not require a license to practice if a slot is available.
On March 4, 1997, the Director of the Institute of Radiology issued a final notice to
petitioner Maribel S. Santos requiring the latter to comply with Republic Act. No. 7431
by taking and passing the forthcoming examination scheduled in June 1997; otherwise,
private respondent SLMC may be compelled to retire her from employment should there
be no other position available where she may be absorbed.
On May 14, 1997, the Director of the Institute of Radiology, AED-Division of Ancillary
Services issued a memorandum to petitioner Maribel S. Santos directing the latter to

submit her PRC Registration form/Examination Permit per Memorandum dated March
4, 1997.
On March 13, 1998, the Director of the Institute of Radiology issued another
memorandum to petitioner Maribel S. Santos advising her that only a license can assure
her of her continued employment at the Institute of Radiology of the private respondent
SLMC and that the latter is giving her the last chance to take and pass the forthcoming
board examination scheduled in June 1998; otherwise, private respondent SLMC shall
be constrained to take action which may include her separation from employment.
On November 23, 1998, the Director of the Institute of Radiology issued a notice to
petitioner Maribel S. Santos informing the latter that the management of private
respondent SLMC has approved her retirement in lieu of separation pay.
On November 26, 1998, the Personnel Manager of private respondent SLMC issued a
"Notice of Separation from the Company" to petitioner Maribel S. Santos effective
December 30, 1998 in view of the latter's refusal to accept private respondent SLMC's
offer for early retirement. The notice also states that while said private respondent
exerted its efforts to transfer petitioner Maribel S. Santos to other position/s, her
qualifications do not fit with any of the present vacant positions in the hospital.
In a letter dated December 18, 1998, a certain Jack C. Lappay, President of the
Philippine Association of Radiologic Technologists, Inc., wrote Ms. Judith Betita,
Personnel Manager of private respondent SLMC, requesting the latter to give "due
consideration" to the organization's three (3) regular members of his organization
(petitioner Maribel S. Santos included) "for not passing yet the Board of Examination for
X-ray Technology," "by giving them an assignment in any department of your hospital
awaiting their chance to pass the future Board Exam."
On January 6, 1999, the Personnel Manager of private respondent SLMC again issued
a "Notice of Separation from the Company" to petitioner Maribel S. Santos effective
February 5, 1999 after the latter failed to present/ submit her appeal for rechecking to
the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) of the recent board examination which
she took and failed.
On March 2, 1999, petitioner Maribel S. Santos filed a complaint against private
respondent SLMC for illegal dismissal and non-payment of salaries, allowances and
other monetary benefits. She likewise prayed for the award of moral and exemplary
damages plus attorney's fees.

In the meantime, petitioner Alliance of Filipino Workers (AFW), through its President and
Legal Counsel, in a letter dated September 22, 1999 addressed to Ms. Rita Marasigan,
Human Resources Director of private respondent SLMC, requested the latter to
accommodate petitioner Maribel S. Santos and assign her to the vacant position of CSS
Aide in the hospital arising from the death of an employee more than two (2) months
earlier.
In a letter dated September 24, 1999, Ms. Rita Marasigan replied thus:
Gentlemen:
Thank you for your letter of September 22, 1999 formally requesting to fill up the vacant
regular position of a CSS Aide in Ms. Maribel Santos' behalf.
The position is indeed vacant. Please refer to our Recruitment Policy for particulars
especially on minimum requirements of the job and the need to meet said requirements,
as well as other pre-employment requirements, in order to be considered for the vacant
position. As a matter of fact, Ms. Santos is welcome to apply for any vacant position on
the condition that she possesses the necessary qualifications.
As to the consensus referred to in your letter, may I correct you that the agreement is,
regardless of the vacant position Ms. Santos decides to apply, she must go through the
usual application procedures. The formal letter, I am afraid, will not suffice for purposes
of recruitment processing. As you know, the managers requesting to fill any vacancy
has a say on the matter and correctly so. The manager's inputs are necessarily factored
into the standard recruitment procedures. Hence, the need to undergo the prescribed
steps.
Indeed we have gone through the mechanics to accommodate Ms. Santos' transfer
while she was employed with SLMC given the prescribed period. She was given 30
days from issuance of the notice of termination to look for appropriate openings which
incidentally she wittingly declined to utilize. She did this knowing fully well that the
consequences would be that her application beyond the 30-day period or after the
effective date of her termination from SLMC would be considered a re-application with
loss of seniority and shall be subjected to the pertinent application procedures.
Needless to mention, one of the 3 X-ray Technologists in similar circumstances as Ms.
Santos at the time successfully managed to get herself transferred to E.R. because she
opted to apply for the appropriate vacant position and qualified for it within the
prescribed 30-day period. The other X-ray Technologist, on the other hand, as you may

recall, was eventually terminated not just for his failure to comply with the licensure
requirement of the law but for cause (refusal to serve a customer).
Why Ms. Santos opted to file a complaint before the Labor Courts and not to avail of the
opportunity given her, or assuming she was not qualified for any vacant position even if
she tried to look for one within the prescribed period, I simply cannot understand why
she also refused the separation pay offered by Management in an amount beyond the
minimum required by law only to re-apply at SLMC, which option would be available to
her anyway even (if she) chose to accept the separation pay!

Sponsor Documents

Or use your account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Forgot your password?

Or register your new account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link to create a new password.

Back to log-in

Close