G.R. Nos. 183200-01 - PHILIPPINE NATIONAL OIL COMPANY-ENERGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AND/OR PAUL AQUINO AND ESTER R. GUERZON, VS. AMELYN A. BUENVIAJE.[G.R. Nos. 183253 & 183257] AMELYN A. BUENVIAJE, VS. PHILIPPINE NATIONAL OIL COMPANY-ENERGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, PAUL A. AQUINO AND ESTER R. GUERZ

Ruling

WHEREFORE , premises considered, judgment is hereby rendered declaring complainant a regular employee. As a consequence thereof, her dismissal without any basis is hereby deemed illegal. Respondents PNOC-Energy Development Corporation, and/or Paul Aquino and Ester R. Guerzon are hereby ordered to reinstate complainant to her former position without loss of seniority rights and other benefits and with full backwages reckoned from August 1, 2004 up to her actual or payroll reinstatement, which as of this date is in the amount of P718,260.40. Further, for having acted with manifest bad faith and given the extent of the damage done to complainant who occupies a high managerial position, respondents are jointly and severally ordered to pay complainant moral damages in the amount of P1,000,000.00 and exemplary damages in the amount of P500,000.00. Finally, respondents are hereby ordered to return to complainant the amount of P51,692.72, which they illegally deducted from her last salary and to pay the sum equivalent to ten percent of the judgment award as and by way of attorney's fees. SO ORDERED.