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Daphne Galvez - The Philippine Star
March 30, 2025 | 12:00am
In a ruling penned by Associate Justice Samuel Gaerlan, the SC’s Third Division reinstated the workers’ case, ordering the CA to review it on its merits.
Philstar.com / Irra Lising
MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has overturned the Court of Appeals (CA)’s decision to dismiss a petition filed by minimum-wage workers in an illegal dismissal case, emphasizing that clients should not bear the consequences of their lawyer’s negligence when it could deprive them of justice.
In a ruling penned by Associate Justice Samuel Gaerlan, the SC’s Third Division reinstated the workers’ case, ordering the CA to review it on its merits.
The workers initially sought relief through the labor arbiter and the National Labor Relations Commission, but both dismissed their complaint.
After being dismissed, they took their case to the CA, with a deadline of Dec. 10, 2022, to file a petition for certiorari. However, despite receiving payment, their lawyer failed to prepare the petition, forcing the workers to seek new legal representation at the last minute.
They sought a 30-day extension, until Jan. 10, 2023, to find a new lawyer and file their case, but the CA denied the request, arguing that they did not exert enough effort in finding legal counsel.
Their newly hired lawyer managed to submit the petition by the requested deadline, but the appellate court still dismissed the case.
Upon appeal, the SC sided with the workers, emphasizing that while clients are generally bound by their lawyer’s actions, exceptions apply when legal negligence violates due process or results in an unjust loss of rights.
“If the strict application of the rules would tend to frustrate rather than promote justice, the Court is not without power to exercise its judicial discretion in relaxing the rules of procedure and prevent a miscarriage of justice,” the SC said.
Recognizing the workers’ financial limitations, the high tribunal noted that minimum-wage earners with restricted access to legal resources cannot be expected to immediately secure new representation after being abandoned.
“Indubitably, the adage that ‘those who have less in life should have more in law’ is not an empty platitude, especially when there is a grave possibility that the less privileged, having relied in good faith on the assurances of a lawyer, were abruptly abandoned and were deprived of their right to due process,” the SC said.
Aside from ordering the CA to review its merits, the high tribunal also directed the Commission on Bar Discipline of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines to investigate the workers’ original lawyer for potential administrative liability.
“Our courts and tribunals should strike a balance between public policy and necessity – that of putting an end to litigation speedily and yet harmonizing such necessity with the right of a litigant to an opportunity to be heard,” it said.
