G.R. No. 117890 - PISON-ARCEO AGRICULTURAL AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, VS. NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS COMMISSION AND NATIONAL FEDERATION OF SUGAR WORKERS-FOOD AND GENERAL TRADE (NFSW-FGT)/ JESUS PASCO, MARTIN BONARES, EVANGELINE PASCO, TERESITA NAVA, FELIXBERTO NAVA, JOHNNY GARRIDO, EDUARDO NUÑEZ AND

Ruling

WHEREFORE, judgment is hereby rendered affirming the decision of Executive Labor Arbiter Oscar S. Uy, dated September 2, 1992, subject to the amendments and modification stated above and ordering the respondent-appellant, Jose Edmundo Pison and the respondent Pison-Arceo Agricultural and Development Corporation to pay jointly and severally the claims for backwages and separation pay of the complainant-appellees in the above-entitled case, except the claims of Danny Felix and Helen Felix, in the amount specified below: Name Backwages Separation Pay Total 1. Jesus Pasco P14,729.00 P12,818.06 P27,547.06 2. Evangeline Pasco 14,729.00 12,874.81 27,603.81 3. Martin Bonares 14,729.00 9,035.06 23,764.06 4. Mariolita Bonares 14,729.00 8,455.00 23,184.00 5. Felixberto Nava 14,729.00 13,505.31 28,234.31 6. Teresita Nava 14,729.00 3,417.31 18,146.31 7. Johnny Garrido 8,489.00 4,463.94 12,952.94 8. Eduardo Nuñez 8,489.00 11,399.44 19,888.44 9. Delma Nuñez 8,489.00 9,507.94 17,996.94 In addition, the respondent-appellant and the respondent corporation are ordered to pay attorneys fees equivalent to ten (10%) percent of the total award. The dispositive portion of the assailed Resolution, on the other hand, reads: [7] WHEREFORE, the decision in question is hereby modified in the sense that the monetary award of Mariolita Bonares be [sic] deleted. Except for such modification, the rest of the decision stands. Arguing that the National Labor Relations Commission did not have jurisdiction over it because it was not a party before the labor arbiter, petitioner elevated this matter before this Court via a petition for certiorari under Rule 65. Acting on petitioners prayer [8] , this Court (First Division) issued on January 18, 1995 a temporary restraining order enjoining the respondents from executing the assailed Decision and Resolution. The Facts As gathered from the complaint [9] and other submissions of the parties filed with Executive Labor Arbiter Oscar S. Uy, the facts of the case are as follows: Together with Complainants Danny and Helen Felix, private respondents -- Jesus Pasco, Evangeline Pasco, Martin Bonares, Teresita Nava, Felixberto Nava, Johnny Garrido, Eduardo Nuñez and Delma Nuñez, all represented by Private Respondent National Federation of Sugar Workers-Food and General Trade (NSFW-FGT) -- filed on June 13, 1988 a complaint for illegal dismissal, reinstatement, payment of backwages and attorneys fees against Hacienda Lanutan/Jose Edmundo Pison. Complainants alleged that they were previously employed as regular sugar farm workers of Hacienda Lanutan in Talisay, Negros Occidental. On the other hand, Jose Edmundo Pison claimed that he was merely the administrator of Hacienda Lanutan which was owned by Pison-Arceo Agricultural and Development Corporation. As earlier stated, the executive labor arbiter rendered on September 2, 1992 a decision in favor of the workers-complainants, the dispositive portion of which reads: WHEREFORE, premises consid