CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – A private hospital here paid its former workers almost P.4 million in connection with the illegal dismissal and other labor cases filed against it before the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) in 2009.
In an interview on Monday, Marcelino Marinas Jr. and his wife, Marife, said they received P387,504.69 from the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Medical Center (OLMCMC) in Barangay Saguin as ordered by the NLRC fourth division office in Quezon City.
“Accordingly, respondents are hereby directed to pay complainants Marife and Marcelino Jr., their salary differential, 13th month pay and service incentive leave for at least 3 years and separation pay,” said NLRC presiding officer Herminio Suelo in his decision.
Marinas showed to Punto the official receipt issued by the NLRC to him as proof he got the payment from OLMCMC.
The respondents in the case are Adrian Briones and his wife, Dr. Monet Briones, top executives of the hospital located along MacArthur Highway.
“I came out in the open and ask media to help me because I want to encourage other Mount Carmel workers to fight for their rights and sue the hospital for alleged unfair treatment and labor practices against lowly workers,” said Marinas in the dialect.
He disclosed that other workers, including a security guard, recently filed labor cases against OLMCMC before the NLRC-III.
The Marinas sued the OLMCMC and Briones couple after Marcelino was scolded by Mr. Briones and was asked to leave for arriving late from a trip in Manila more than two years ago.
“That was the final straw when I arrived late from Manila due to traffic. Earlier, I just kept silent experiencing unfair treatment, especially from Mr. Briones,” said Marcelino.
The NLRC-Quezon reversed the decision of the NLRC-III on the illegal dismissal case.
“Wherefore, premises considered, the instant motion for reconsideration is hereby partially granted and the decision is hereby modified dismissing the compliant insofar as the issue of illegal dismissal is concerned,” said Suelo in his decision reversing the earlier decision of NLRC-III Labor Arbiter Leandro Jose who found the OLMCMC liable for illegal dismissal.
But Suelo agreed with Jose on the latter’s decision to ask the OMCMMC to pay the Marino couple of the said amount in relation to the labor cases.
“I won’t appeal the reversal anymore. What’s important is that I won the bigger case and exposed the truth,” said Marinas, a former maintenance personnel who refused to return to work at the OLMMC after the resolution of the NLRC labor case.
Punto and a television network visited the OLMCMC on Monday for the comments of the Brioneses. But they were not around, said the security guard and a certain Joan who is assigned at the information desk of the hospital.
Punto left its cellphone number but the Brioneses failed to call as of press time.
