NOV 2 7 2018

3aepublic of the tlbilippineg

~upreme QI:ourt
;ffm:anila

THIRD DIVISION

JULIUS Q. APELANIO, G.R. No. 227098

Petitioner,
Present:
PERALTA, J., Chairperson,
LEONEN,
- versus - GESMUNDO,*
REYES, J., JR., and
HERNANDO, * JJ.

Promulgated:
ARCANYS, INC. and CEO ALAN
DEBONNEVILLE,

x------------------------- Respondents. ---------- ~:'.,. 1~~ ------ x

DECISION

PERALTA, J.:

This is a Petition for Review on Certiorari1 under Rule 45 of the

Rules of Court seeking the reversal of the Decision2 dated November 19,
2015 and the Resolution3 dated July 22, 2016 of the Court of Appeals in CA•
G.R. SP No. 08340, reversing the Decision4 dated August 30, 2013 and the
Resolution dated December 19, 2013 of the National Labor Relations
Commission (NLRC) in NLRC Case No. V AC-06-000360-2013 (RAB Case
No. VII-11-1700-12) which set aside the Decision6 dated April 30, 2013 of
the Labor Arbiter.

On wellness leave.
Rollo, pp. 8-21.
Id. at 25-31. Penned by Associate Justice Edward B. Contreras, and concurred in by Associate
Justices Edgardo L. Delos Santos and Germano Francisco D. Legaspi.
3
Id. at22-23.
Id. at 96-105.
Id. at I 09-110.
Id. at 72-82.
Decision -2- G.R. No. 227098

The facts are as follows:

On April 10, 2012, petrtioner Julius Q. Apelanio was hired by

respondents Arcanys, Inc. and Chief Executive Officer ( CEO) Alan
Debonneville as a Usability/Web Design Expert. He was placed on a
"probationary status" for a period of six months. During the said period,
respondent corporation evaluated his performance in terms of his
dependability, efficiency, initiative, cooperation, client responsiveness, judgment,
punctuality, quality and quantity of work, professionalism, and attitude towards
customers, colleagues, and respondent corporation as a whole. Although
petitioner was aware that he was undergoing evaluation, he was allegedly not
informed of what the passing grade was or what constituted as "reasonable
standards of satisfactory performance."

During his second (2nd) month evaluation on July 3, 2012, petitioner

received a rating of 3.06. On his fourth ( 4111) month evaluation, he received a
rating of 2.99. On October 3, 2012, his sixth (6111) month evaluation, he
received a rating of 2.77. Respondents then served petitioner a letter
informing him that they were not converting his status into a regular
employee since his performance fell short of the stringent requirements and
standards set by respondent corporation. Petitioner was given his final pa/
and he signed a Waiver, Release and Quitclaim" in favor of respondents.

Petitioner averred that when his probationary contract was terminated,

he was immediately offered a retainership agreement lasting from October
10, 2012 until October 24, 2012, which involved a similar scope of work and
responsibilities. He was told that he did not meet the "reasonable standards
of satisfactory performance," but was nevertheless offered said retainership
agreement with identical requirements on a project basis, without security of
tenure, with lesser pay, and without any labor standard benefits. Petitioner
was confused with the arrangement, but agreed since he had a family to
support. He believed that he was still undergoing respondents' evaluation.

On October 26, 2012, after the lapse of the retainership agreement,

petitioner was offered another retainership agreement, from October 25,
2012 to November 12, 2012, again with an identical scope of work but at a
reduced daily rate of P857.14, down from the daily rate of Pl ,257.15 from
the initial agreement.

As a result, petitroner became suspicious of the respondent

corporation's motives and consulted with a lawyer, who informed him that

CA rollo, p. 84.
Id.at 83.
Id. at 84.
Decision -3- G.R. No. 227098

said practice was illegal. He then refused to sign the second retainership
agreement, and questioned why they offered him another retainership
agreement if he was deemed unqualified for the position. Petitioner alleged
that respondents found him qualified for the position, but opted to hire his
services on a per project basis, justifying the lesser pay and the lack of
security of tenure and labor standard benefits.

On the other hand, respondents stated that they hired petitioner as a

web designer and was made aware that he would be placed on probationary
status, and that his failure to meet the stringent requirements and standards
set forth would terminate his employment contract.

As a matter of fact, several days before the end of petitioner's

probationary contract on October 5, 2012, respondents requested petitioner
to sign the termination notice. Petitioner signed the termination notice; and
respondents released and paid petitioner his final pay on October 23, 2012.
Petitioner also executed a Waiver, Release, and Quitclaim dated November
16, 201210 in favor of respondents, indicating therein that he had no further
claim whatsoever against the company and that he had received his full pay.

Respondents also alleged that at the time petitioner's probationary

employment ended, respondent corporation experienced several hacking
incidents that were reported to the police authorities. The hacking incidents
caused severe losses and damage to respondents, and the management was
determined to go after the perpetrator.

Respondents claimed that petitioner took advantage of their

predicament when he personally approached respondent corporation's CEO
and represented that he had information about the hacking perpetrator.
Petitioner allegedly dangled the information to respondents in exchange for
a retainership contract, and respondents were lured in. The first retainership
agreement was prepared, but it was for the specific purpose of obtaining
from petitioner information about the hacking incidents. Petitioner, however,
wanted a bigger salary and an extended duration; hence, a second agreement
was prepared. Ultimately, however, it dawned on respondents that petitioner
did not actually have information or leads about the hacking and that he just
took advantage of their situation.

When respondents stopped transacting with petitioner, he sued them

before the Labor Arbiter for unfair labor practice, illegal dismissal, and
damages. Respondents vehemently deny that they violated petitioner's right
to organize; and that the charge of unfair labor practice is baseless,
misleading, and irrelevant. /7Y
ro Id. {/'
Decision -4- G.R. No. 227098

11
The Labor Arbiter rendered a Decision dismissing petitioner's
illegal dismissal complaint against respondents, the dispositive portion of
which reads:

WHEREFORE, above premises considered, this Court hereby

dismisses the complaint of JULIUS APELANIO against respondents
ARCANY's INC. and ALLAN DEBONNEVILLE on charges of illegal
dismissal and other money claims, for lack of merit.

SO ORDERED.12 (Emphasis in the original.)

The Labor Arbiter held that the circumstances surrounding the present
case unequivocally show neither bad faith nor deceit on the part of
respondents. Petitioner's dismissal was an exercise of an employer's
management prerogative to retain only those it deems fit. In addition,
petitioner was aware that he failed to qualify when he knowingly signed a
quitclaim and waiver in favor of respondents after he received his final
. 13
pay.

Aggrieved, petitroner appealed the decision before the NLRC,

questioning whether or not he was: (a) illegally dismissed; and (b) entitled to
his money claims.

On August 30, 2013, the NLRC rendered a Decision,14 the dispositive

portion of which reads as follows:

WHEREFORE, premises considered, the Decision of Labor

Arbiter Maria Ada Aniceto-Veloso, dated 30 April 2013, is hereby
REVERSED and SET ASIDE. Complainant is a regular employee of
respondent ARCANY'S INC. In view of complainant's illegal dismissal,
ARCANY's INC. is hereby ordered to pay complainant the total amount
of THREE HUNDRED TWENTY-SEVEN THOUSAND THREE
HUNDRED SIXTY PESOS & 00/100 (P327,360.00) representing his
backwages and to reinstate complainant to his former position without loss
of seniority rights and other privileges within ten (10) days from receipt of
this Decision. Individual respondent Allan Debonneville is absolved(lf
any personal civil liability.

SO ORDERED.
Cebu City, Philippines."

II
Supra note 6.
12
Id. at 82.
n id. at 81-82.
14
Supra note 4.
I<
Id at 104-105.
Decision -5- G.R. No. 227098

The NLRC rejected respondents' argument that the retainership

agreements were mere drafts that did not even contain petitioner's signature.
On the contrary, the NLRC agreed with petitioner that it is normal for an
employee not to sign his own copy of the agreement. The NLRC likewise
held that, due to respondents' failure to deny the authenticity of their
Information Technology General Manager (GM) Jake Q. Bantug's signature
on the retainership agreements, petitioner was indeed rehired by respondent
corporation for the period of October 10 to 24, 2012. The NLRC was not
convinced that petitioner failed to meet respondents' reasonable standards of
satisfactory performance, and that they only wanted to prevent petitioner
from acquiring a regular status.

Respondents filed a motion for reconsideration but the NLRC denied

it. Thus, via a petition for certiorari under Rule 65 of the Rules of Court,
respondents went to the Court of Appeals and sought that the Decision dated
August 30, 2013 and the Resolution dated December 19, 2013 of the NLRC
be reversed and set aside.

In the assailed Decision 16 dated November 19, 2015, the Court of

Appeals granted the petition and reversed the NLRC's Decision and
Resolution, and reinstated the Decision dated April 30, 2013 of the Labor
Arbiter dismissing petitioner's complaint for illegal dismissal.

The Court of Appeals ruled that petitioner was properly terminated at

the end of the probationary period since he failed to qualify by the standards
that were made known to him at the commencement of his engagement.

Petitioner moved for reconsideration of the decision, but the Court of

Appeals denied the same in its Resolution17 dated July 22, 2016.

Thus, via Rule 45 of the Rules of Court, before this Court, petitioner
raised the lone issue:

WHETHER OR NOT THE COURT OF APPEALS COMMITTED

REVERSlBLE ERROR IN REVERSING AND SETTING ASIDE THE WELL•
REASONED DECISION AND RESOLUTION OF PUBLIC RESPONDENT
NLRC.18

The petition is unmeritorious.

16
Supra note 2.
17
Supra note 3.
18
Rollo, p. 15.
Decision -6- G.R. No. 227098

Petitioner maintains that the retainership agreements offered to him

contained GM Bantug's signature, and that said signature signified the
validity of the subject agreements. We disagree.

Jurisprudence is replete with circumstances stating that an employer

may unilaterally prepare an employment contract, stating the terms and
conditions required of a potential employee, and that a potential employee
had only to adhere to it by signing it.19 Such contract is known as a contract
of adhesion, which is allowed by law albeit construed in favor of the
employee in case of ambiguity. In Philippine Commercial International
Bank v. CA,20 the Court defined in detail the meaning of a contract of
adhesion, to wit:

A contract of adhesion is defined as one in which one of the parties

imposes a ready-made form of contract, which the other party may accept
or reject, but which the latter cannot modify. One party prepares the
stipulation in the contract, while the other party merely affixes his
signature or his "adhesion" thereto, giving no room for negotiation and
depriving the latter of the opportunity to bargain on equal footing.
Nevertheless, these types of contracts have been declared as binding as
ordinary contracts, the reason being that the party who adheres to the
contract is free to reject it entirely." (Citations omitted.)

It bears emphasis that in contracts of adhesion, "[ o]ne party prepares

the stipulation in the contract, while the other party merely affixes
his signature or his 'adhesion' thereto[.]"22 Besides, "[t]he one who adheres
to the contract is in reality free to reject it entirely; if he adheres, he gives his
consent.Y'' In this case, however, it cannot be denied that in the retainership
agreements provided by petitioner, his signature or "adherence" is notably
absent. As a result, said retainership agreements remain ineffectual and
cannot be used as evidence against respondents.

Notably, the Court of Appeals correctly pointed out the significance

of petitioner's failure to sign said agreements, viz.:

The first agreement, which supposedly re-hired [petitioner] for the

same position, did not bear his signature. This fact alone stirs doubt on
whether the aforementioned agreement really got finalized. The NLRC

tJI
gave full credence to [petitioner]'s proposition that it is normal for an
employee not to sign his copy and that if [petitioner] really wanted to, he
could have signed his copy before submitting it as evidence.

\')
Villanueva v. NLRC, 356 Phil. 638 (1998).
325 Phil. 588 ( 1996).
21
Id.at 597.
Polo/an. Sr. v. CA (Eleventh Div), 357 Phil. 250. 257 ( 1998).
:n
Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. \'. CA, 364 Phil. 947, 953-954 ( 1999).
Decision -7- G.R. No. 227098

Unfortunately, We cannot align Our view with that of the NLRC

considering that x x x the absence of [petitioner]' s signature in the first
agreement was also coupled with other indicators that support the
conclusion that such agreement was never really carried out.

First, the draft of the second agreement, which [petitioner] claimed

to be another extension of the first, indicated that such agreement was
entered into, and supposed to be signed by the parties on the l 0111 of
October 2012. Second, the Skype conversation between [petitioner] and
[respondents'] representative on October 24, 2012 xx x showed that they
were discussing possible compensation at Pl 8,000.00, which was the
remuneration indicated in the first agreement. If the first agreement got
finalized and was already implemented, then why would the draft of the
second one still indicate the l 0111 of October 2012 as the date of execution
and signing of the first agreement? Although it may be argued that the
dates were merely clerical errors or unreplaced entries resulting to
oversight, the Skype conversation between [petitioner] and [respondents']
representative on October 24, 2012, confirmed the non-conclusion of the
first agreement; for it would be illogical for the parties to still discuss the
remuneration indicated in the first agreement if the same had already been
implemented, and, in fact, was about to end on the day that the
conversatio. n too k p 1 ace. 24

Furthermore, a review of the retainership agreements indicates that

petitioner was merely engaged as a consultant, in relation to the hacking
incidents endured by respondents. Petitioner merely alleged that he was
hired as an employee under said retainership agreements, but has yet to
provide evidence to support such claim. "It is a basic rule in evidence that
each party must prove his affirmative allegations.?" Therefore, Article 281
of the Labor Code finds no application in this case, absent any evidence to
prove that petitioner worked beyond his probationary employment.

Thus, the Court of Appeals suitably found grave abuse of discretion

on the part of the NLRC in ordering respondents to pay petitioner the total
amount of THREE HUNDRED TWENTY-SEVEN THOUSAND THREE
HUNDRED SIXTY PESOS (P327 ,360.00) when he was validly terminated
at the end of his probationary employment. "To sanction such action would
not only be unjust, but oppressive on the part of the employer as emphasized
in Pampanga Bus Co., Inc., v. Pamhusco Employer Union, Inc. (68 Phil. 541
[ 1939])."26

WHEREFORE, in view of the foregoing, the instant petition for

review on certiorari is DENIED. The Decision of the Court of Appeals in
CA-G.R. SP No. 08340, which reversed the Decision dated August 30, 2013

:?.4
Supra note 2, at 29.
Jimenez v. NLRC. er al., 326 Phii 89, Q5 ,, 1996).
International Catholic Migration Commission v. NLRC, 251 Phil. 560, 569 ( 1989).
ti
Decision -8- G.R. No. 227098

and the Resolution dated December 19, 2013 of the National Labor
Relations Commission, is AFFIRMED in toto.

SO OllDERED.

.PERA LTA
 Decision -9- G.R. No. 227098

WE CONCUR:

Associate Justice

On wellness leave
ALEXANDER G. GESMUNDO
Associate Justice
~~-!{~:JR.
Associate Justice

On wellness leave
RAMON PAULL.HERNANDO
Associate Justice

ATTESTATION

I attest that the conclusions in the above Decision had been reached in
consultation before the case was assigned to the writer of the opinion of the
Court's Division.

Chairperson, Third Division

CERTIFICATION

Pursuant to Section 13, Article VIII of the Constitution and the

Division Chairperson's Attestation, I certify that the conclusions in the above
Decision had been reached in consultation before the case was assigned to
the writer of the opinion of the Court's Division.

Senior Associate Justice (Per

Section 12, Republic Act No.
alFLED 1"RU£
COPY 296, The Judiciary Act of
1948, as amended)
o iv ~!~~e~ L:tr.~~,
WIL~-~
i k

Third Di, ision

1
NOV 2 7 2018