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Republic of the Philippines

SUPREME COURT

Manila

FIRST DIVISION

G.R. Nos. 109095-109107 February 23, 1995

E!EP"O #SCO, RO!OFO E"S#N, UR$#NO $ER#!OR, FORENT"NO ESTO$"O,

M#RCE"NO M#TUR#N, FR#EN $#"$#G, C#RME"TO G#%O, !EMOST&ENES M#NTO,

S#TURN"NO $#CO, S#TURN"NO #SCO, R#MON O'O#, %OSEN"#NO $. ESP"N#, a((

re)rese*+e by M#R"#NO R. ESP"N#, petitioner,

vs.

UN"TE! N#T"ONS REO"NG FUN! FOR N#TUR# RESOURCES EPOR#T"ON

/UNRFNRE re)rese*+e by +s o)era+o*s a*aer, !R. 4'R"#COS OUC#, OSC#R N.#$E#, EON G. GON#G#, %R., MUS"$ M. $U#T, Cosso*ers o6 Na+o*a( abor

Re(a+o*s Cosso* /NRC, F6+ !8so*, Caaya* e Oro C+y a* "R"NG PET"#,

abor #rb+er o6 $u+ua* C+y, respondents.

U"#SON, J.:

This is a petition for certiorariunder Rule ! of the Revised Rules of "ourt to set aside the

Resolution dated #anuar$ %!, &''( of the National )abor Relations "o**ission +N)R", Fifth

Division, "a-a$an de Oro "it$.

e dis*iss the petition.

I

Petitioners /ere dis*issed fro* their e*plo$*ent /ith private respondent, the 0nited Nations

Revolvin- Fund for Natural Resources 12ploration +0NRFNR1, /hich is a special fund and

subsidiar$ or-an of the 0nited Nations. The 0NRFNR1 is involved in a 3oint pro3ect of the Philippine

4overn*ent and the 0nited Nations for e2ploration /or5 in Dina-at Island.

Petitioners are the co*plainants in N)R" "ases Nos. SR67 &898(9888:9'& to &898(9888:;9'&and SR67 &898:988&!'9'& for ille-al dis*issal and da*a-es.

In its Motion to Dis*iss, private respondent alle-ed that respondent )abor 6rbiter had no 3urisdiction

over its personalit$ since it en3o$ed diplo*atic i**unit$ pursuant to the &'

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Petitioners filed the instant petition for certiorari/ithout first see5in- a reconsideration of the N)R"

resolution.

II

6rticle %%( of the )abor "ode of the Philippines, as a*ended, provides that decisions of the N)R"are final and e2ecutor$. Thus, the$ *a$ onl$ be >uestioned throu-h certiorari

as a special civil action

under Rule ! of the Revised Rules of "ourt.

Ordinaril$, certiorari as a special civil action /ill not lie unless a *otion for reconsideration is first filed

before the respondent tribunal, to allo/ it an opportunit$ to correct its assi-ned errors +)ibert$

Insurance "orporation v. "ourt of 6ppeals, %%% S"R6 (: ?&''(@.

In the case at bench, petitioners= failure to file a *otion for reconsideration is fatal to the instant

petition. Moreover, the petition lac5s an$ e2planation for such o*ission, /hich *a$ *erit its bein-

considered as fallin- under the reco-niAed e2ceptions to the necessit$ of filin- such *otion.

Not/ithstandin-, /e dee* it /ise to -ive due course to the petition because of the i*plications of

the issue in our international relations.

Petitioners ar-ued that the acts of *inin- e2ploration and e2ploitation are outside the official

functions of an international a-enc$ protected b$ diplo*atic i**unit$. 1ven assu*in- that private

respondent /as entitled to diplo*atic i**unit$, petitioners insisted that private respondent /aived it

/hen it en-a-ed in e2ploration /or5 and entered into a contract of e*plo$*ent /ith petitioners.

Petitioners, li5e/ise, invo5ed the constitutional *andate that the State shall afford full protection to

labor and pro*ote full e*plo$*ent and e>ualit$ of e*plo$*ent opportunities for all +&';:

"onstitution, 6rt. BIII, Sec. (.

The Office of the Solicitor 4eneral is of the vie/ that private respondent is covered b$ the *antle of

diplo*atic i**unit$. Private respondent is a specialiAed a-enc$ of the 0nited Nations. 0nder 6rticle

&8! of the "harter of the 0nited NationsC

&. The Or-aniAation shall en3o$ in the territor$ of its Me*bers such privile-es and

i**unities as are necessar$ for the fulfill*ent of its purposes.

%. Representatives of the Me*bers of the 0nited Nations and officials of the

Or-aniAation shall si*ilarl$ en3o$ such privile-es and i**unities as are necessar$

for the independent e2ercise of their functions in connection /ith the or-aniAation.

"orollar$ to the cited article is the "onvention on the Privile-es and I**unities of the SpecialiAed

6-encies of the 0nited Nations, to /hich the Philippines /as a si-nator$ +Vol. &, Philippine Treat$

Series, p. %&. e >uote Sections < and ! of 6rticle III thereofC

Sec.

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6s a *atter of state polic$ as e2pressed in the "onstitution, the Philippine 4overn*ent adopts the

-enerall$ accepted principles of international la/ +&';: "onstitution, 6rt. II, Sec. %. 7ein- a *e*ber

of the 0nited Nations and a part$ to the "onvention on the Privile-es and I**unities of the

SpecialiAed 6-encies of the 0nited Nations, the Philippine 4overn*ent adheres to the doctrine of

i**unit$ -ranted to the 0nited Nations and its specialiAed a-encies. 7oth treaties have the force

and effect of la/.

In World Health rganization v.!quino,

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*ineral e2ploration in Dina-at Island. Its *ission is not to e2ploit our natural resources and -ain

pecuniaril$ thereb$ but to help i*prove the >ualit$ of life of the people, includin- that of petitioners.

This is not to sa$ that petitioner have no recourse. Section (& of the "onvention on the Privile-es

and I**unities of the SpecialiAed 6-encies of the 0nited Nations states that Eeach specialiAed

a-enc$ shall *a5e a provision for appropriate *odes of settle*ent ofC +a disputes arisin- out ofcontracts or other disputes of private character to /hich the specialiAed a-enc$ is a part$.E

1R1FOR1, the petition is DISMISS1D.

SO ORD1R1D.

(adilla, )avide, *r+, ellosillo and -apunan, **+, concur+

(DIGESTED) BASIS LANG

as:o 8s UNRFNRE"ase Di-estG1ldepio )asco et al v 0nited Nations Revolvin- Fund For NaturalResources 12ploration +0NRFNR14.R. Nos. &8'8'!9&8'&8: Februar$ %(, &''!

Fa:+s;Petitioners /ere dis*issed fro* their e*plo$*ent /ith privaterespondent, the0nited Nations Revolvin- Fund for NaturalResources12ploration +0NRFNR1, /hich isa special fund and subsidiar$ or-an of the0nited Nations.The 0NRFNR1 is involved ina 3oint pro3ect of thePhilippine4overn*ent and the 0nited Nations for e2ploration /or5in Dina-at Island.Petitioners are theco*plainants for ille-al dis*issal andda*a-es.Private respondent alle-ed that respondent )abor 6rbiter had no 3urisdictionover its personalit$ since iten3o$ed diplo*atic i**unit$.

"ssue;ON specialiAed a-encies en3o$ diplo*atic i**unit$

&e(;Petition is dis*issed. This is not to sa$ that petitioner have no recourse.Section (&of the "onvention on the Privile-es and I**unitiesof the SpecialiAed6-encies of the0nited Nations states that Heach specialiAed a-enc$ shall *a5ea provision forappropriate *odes of settle*ent of +a disputes arisin- out of contracts or otherdisputes of private character to /hich thespecialiAed a-enc$isa part$. Privaterespondent is not en-a-ed in a co**ercial venture in thePhilippines.Its presence is b$virtue of a 3oint pro3ect entered into b$ thePhilippine 4overn*ent and the0nited Nationsfor *ineral e2ploration in Dina-atIsland