Republic vs. Pantranco North Express, Inc. (PNEI) : February 15, 2012. G.R. No. 178593

Republic vs. Pantranco North Express, Inc.
(PNEI)
February 15, 2012.G.R. No. 178593
NATURE:
PETITION for review on certiorari of the resolutions of the Court of Appeals.
FACTS:
Pantranco Employees Association (PEA), et al., filed a consolidated complains
for retrenchment agains Pantranco North Express, Inc. (PNEI). The Labor Arbiter
favored PEA and ordered PNEI to pay each of the 345 illegally retrenched employees
four months back wages.
The NLRC affirmed the decision.
On the strength of a 5th Alias Writ of Execution, a Notice of Levy/Sale on
Execution of Personal Property was issued. Certain properties formerly belonging to
PNEI were levied upon and scheduled for auction sale on September 18, 2001 at 11:00
a.m.
The Republic of the Philippines, through Private and Management Office (PMO)
filed a Notice of Third-Party Claim over the levied properties. PMO asserted that the
properties are mortgaged to the National Government through its trustee, the Asset
Privatization Trust (now Privatization and Management Office or PMO).
Labor Arbiter denied petitioners third-party claim for want of merit and directed
the sheriff to proceed with the execution process. the NLRC issued a Resolution
affirming the Order of the Labor Arbiter.
Without filing a motion for reconsideration, petitioner filed a petition for
certiorari before the CA. The petition was denied. The CA dismissed the petition for
being premature. The CA held that petitioners failure to file a motion for reconsideration
of the NLRC resolution was a fatal procedural defect.
POM filed a motion for reconsideration before the CA which was also denied. As
a result, POM filed petition for review on certiorari under Rule 45 of the 1997 Rules of
Civil Procedure before the Supreme Court.
ISSUE:
Whether or not a motion for reconsideration is an indispensable condition before
an aggrieved party can file the special civil action for certiorari under Rule 65
HELD:
The well-established rule is that a motion for reconsideration is an indispensable
condition before an aggrieved party can resort to the special civil action
for certiorariunder Rule 65 of the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure, as amended. A motion
for reconsideration of the order, resolution or decision of the NLRC should be
seasonably filed as a precondition for pursuing any further or subsequent recourse;
otherwise, the order, resolution or decision would become final and executory after ten
calendar days from receipt thereof. The rationale for the rule is that the law intends to
afford the NLRC an opportunity to rectify such errors or mistakes it may have committed
before resort to courts of justice can be had. Of course, the rule is not absolute and
jurisprudence has laid down exceptions when the filing of a petition for certiorari is
proper notwithstanding the failure to file a motion for reconsideration. Thus, resort to the
courts under Rule 65 is allowed even without a motion for reconsideration first having
been filed: (a) where the order is a patent nullity, as where the court a quo has no
jurisdiction; (b) where the questions raised in the certiorariproceedings have been duly
raised and passed upon by the lower court, or are the same as those raised and passed
upon in the lower court; (c) where there is an urgent necessity for the resolution of the
question and any further delay would prejudice the interests of the Government or of the
petitioner or the subject matter of the petition is perishable; (d) where, under the
circumstances, a motion for reconsideration would be useless; (e) where petitioner was
deprived of due process and there is extreme urgency for relief; (f) where, in a criminal
case, relief from an order of arrest is urgent and the granting of such relief by the trial
court is improbable; (g) where the proceedings in the lower court are a nullity for lack of
due process; (h) where the proceeding was ex parte or in which the petitioner had no
opportunity to object; and, (i) where the issue raised is one purely of law or public
interest is involved.
However, petitioner failed to show that this case falls under any of the exceptions.
Here, except for its bare allegation, petitioner failed to present any plausible justification
for dispensing with the requirement of a prior motion for reconsideration. Notably, the
petition filed before the CA did not state any reason for its failure to file a motion for
reconsideration from the NLRC resolution. It was only in its motion for reconsideration of
the CA resolution dismissing the petition and in the present petition that petitioner
justified its non-filing of a motion for reconsideration. According to petitioner, a motion
for reconsideration would be inadequate and useless since the labor agency is bent on
immediately proceeding with the execution, levy and sale on execution of the subject
properties. But it is not for petitioner to determine whether the filing of a motion for
reconsideration should be dispensed with.

Republic vs. Pantranco North Express, Inc. (PNEI) : February 15, 2012. G.R. No. 178593

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