BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – An official of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) in Bacolod City denied allegations of corruption and injustice within the commission.
In a radio interview, Jessie Sullano, executive labor arbiter of the NLRC Regional Arbitration Branch-Bacolod, said there had been no delays in implementing the decision of the Court of Appeals (CA) in favor of the complainants.
Last week, on Independence Day, a labor group rallied before the NLRC office, accusing Sullano of corruption and injustice.
Joel Santillan and other milling company workers filed a complaint against First Farmers Holding Corporation in 2015. The case was initially referred to two labor arbiters and elevated to the CA, where it was resolved in 2022.
Based on the complainants’ computation, they claimed more than P100 million.
When the CA reviewed the case through an “Amicus Curiae” or “friends of the court” brief, the amount was reduced to P41 million. An order adopting the P41-million computation was released on June 6.
Sullano explained that one of the factors in the reduced computation was the period of work, considering the four-month off-milling season.
Furthermore, he clarified that the P100 million computation submitted by the complainants looked like it was prepared by their personnel, adding that their protests cannot change the already-signed order./PN
