Continental Steel v. Montano

9/2/2015
SUPREMECOURTREPORTSANNOTATEDVOLUME603
SO ORDERED.
Carpio (Chairperson), Velasco, Jr., Nachura and
Peralta, JJ., concur.
Petition denied, judgment and resolution affirmed.
Notes.A grant of annulment of marriage or legal
separation by default is fraught with the danger of
collusion, hence, in all cases for annulment, declaration of
nullity of marriage and legal separation, the prosecuting
attorney or fiscal is ordered to appear on behalf of the state
for the purpose of preventing any collusion between the
parties and to take care that their evidence is not
fabricated or suppressed. (Tuason vs. Court of Appeals, 256
SCRA 158 [1996])
One accused of bigamy has the burden of adducing in
evidence a decision of a competent court declaring the
presumptive death of the first spouse as required by Article
349 of the Revised Penal Code, in relation to Article 41 of
the Family Code. (Manuel vs. People, 476 SCRA 461 [2005])
o0o
G.R. No. 182836.October 13, 2009.*
CONTINENTAL
STEEL
MANUFACTURING
CORPORATION, petitioner, vs. HON. ACCREDITED
VOLUNTARY ARBITRATOR ALLAN S. MONTAO and
NAGKAKAISANG MANGGAGAWA NG CENTRO STEEL
CORPORATIONSOLIDARITY OF UNIONS IN THE
PHILIPPINES FOR EMPOWERMENT AND REFORMS
(NMCSCSUPER), respondents.
Civil Law Civil Personality Death of a Party Sections 40, 41
and 42 of the Civil Code do not provide at all a definition of death
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*THIRD DIVISION.
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SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

Continental Steel Manufacturing Corporation vs. Montao
While the Civil Code expressly provides that civil personality may
be extinguished by death, it does not explicitly state that only those
who have acquired juridical personality could dieone need not
acquire civil personality first before he/she could die.Sections
40, 41 and 42 of the Civil Code do not provide at all a definition of
death. Moreover, while the Civil Code expressly provides that civil
personality may be extinguished by death, it does not explicitly
state that only those who have acquired juridical personality
could die. And third, death has been defined as the cessation of
life. Life is not synonymous with civil personality. One need not
acquire civil personality first before he/she could die. Even a child
inside the womb already has life. No less than the Constitution
recognizes the life of the unborn from conception, that the
State must protect equally with the life of the mother. If the
unborn already has life, then the cessation thereof even prior to
the child being delivered, qualifies as death.
Same Same Same Labor Law Collective Bargaining
Agreements (CBAs) Bereavement Leave and Death Benefits The
unborn child can be considered a dependent under the Collective
Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the parties in the instant
case.The unborn child can be considered a dependent under the
CBA. As Continental Steel itself defines, a dependent is one who
relies on another for support one not able to exist or sustain
oneself without the power or aid of someone else. Under said
general definition, even an unborn child is a dependent of its
parents. Hortillanos child could not have reached 3839 weeks of
its gestational life without depending upon its mother,
Hortillanos wife, for sustenance. Additionally, it is explicit in the
CBA provisions in question that the dependent may be the parent,
spouse, or child of a married employee or the parent, brother, or
sister of a single employee. The CBA did not provide a
qualification for the child dependent, such that the child must
have been born or must have acquired civil personality, as
Continental Steel avers. Without such qualification, then child
shall be understood in its more general sense, which includes the
unborn fetus in the mothers womb.
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Same Same Same Same Same Same Legitimate Children

A legitimate child is a product of, and, therefore, implies a valid
and lawful marriage.The term legitimate merely addresses the
dependent childs status in relation to his/her parents. In Angeles
v. Maglaya, 469 SCRA 363 (2005) we have expounded on who is a
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623
legitimate child, viz.: A legitimate child is a product of, and,

therefore, implies a valid and lawful marriage. Remove the
element of lawful union and there is strictly no legitimate filiation
between parents and child. Article 164 of the Family Code cannot
be more emphatic on the matter: Children conceived or born
during the marriage of the parents are legitimate.
Same Same Same Same Same Same Same The legitimacy
or illegitimacy of a child attaches upon his/her conception.It is
apparent that according to the Family Code and the aforecited
jurisprudence, the legitimacy or illegitimacy of a child attaches
upon his/her conception. In the present case, it was not disputed
that Hortillano and his wife were validly married and that their
child was conceived during said marriage, hence, making said
child legitimate upon her conception.
Same Same Same Same Same Same Being for the benefit
of the employee, Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) provisions
on bereavement leave and other death benefits should be
interpreted liberally to give life to the intentions thereof It cannot
be said that the parents grief and sense of loss arising from the
death of their unborn child, who, in this case, had a gestational
life of 3839 weeks but died during delivery, is any less than that of
parents whose child was born alive but died subsequently.We
emphasize that bereavement leave and other death benefits are
granted to an employee to give aid to, and if possible, lessen the
grief of, the said employee and his family who suffered the loss of
a loved one. It cannot be said that the parents grief and sense of
loss arising from the death of their unborn child, who, in this case,
had a gestational life of 3839 weeks but died during delivery, is
any less than that of parents whose child was born alive but died
subsequently. Being for the benefit of the employee, CBA
provisions on bereavement leave and other death benefits should
be interpreted liberally to give life to the intentions thereof. Time
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and again, the Labor Code is specific in enunciating that in case

of doubt in the interpretation of any law or provision affecting
labor, such should be interpreted in favor of labor. In the same
way, the CBA and CBA provisions should be interpreted in favor
of labor.
PETITION for review on certiorari of the decision and

resolution of the Court of Appeals.
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624
The facts are stated in the opinion of the Court.

A. Gerardo B. Collado for petitioner.
CHICONAZARIO,J.:
Before Us is a Petition for Review on Certiorari, under
Rule 45 of the Rules of Court, assailing the Decision1 dated
27 February 2008 and the Resolution2 dated 9 May 2008 of
the Court of Appeals in CAG.R. SP No. 101697, affirming
the Resolution3 dated 20 November 2007 of respondent
Accredited Voluntary Arbitrator Atty. Allan S. Montao
(Montao) granting bereavement leave and other death
benefits to Rolando P. Hortillano (Hortillano), grounded on
the death of his unborn child.
The antecedent facts of the case are as follows:
Hortillano, an employee of petitioner Continental Steel
Manufacturing Corporation (Continental Steel) and a
member of respondent Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng
Centro Steel CorporationSolidarity of Trade Unions in the
Philippines for Empowerment and Reforms (Union) filed on
9 January 2006, a claim for Paternity Leave, Bereavement
Leave and Death and Accident Insurance for dependent,
pursuant to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)
concluded between Continental and the Union, which
reads:
ARTICLE X:LEAVE OF ABSENCE
x x x x
Section2.BEREAVEMENT LEAVEThe Company agrees
to grant a bereavement leave with pay to any employee in case of
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1Penned by Associate Justice Martin S. Villarama, Jr. with Associate Justices

Noel G. Tijam and Sesinando E. Villon concurring Rollo, pp. 3240.
2Id., at p. 42.
3Penned by Atty. Allan S. Montao, Accredited Voluntary Arbitrator Records,
pp. 381392.
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625
death of the employees legitimate dependent (parents, spouse,

children, brothers and sisters) based on the following:
2.1Within Metro Manila up to Marilao, Bulacan7 days
2.2Provincial/Outside Metro Manila11 days
xxxx
ARTICLE XVIII:OTHER BENEFITS
xxxx
Section4.DEATH AND ACCIDENT INSURANCEThe
Company shall grant death and accidental insurance to the
employee or his family in the following manner:
xxxx
4.3DEPENDENTSEleven Thousand Five Hundred Fifty
Pesos (Php11,550.00) in case of death of the employees legitimate
dependents (parents, spouse, and children). In case the employee
is single, this benefit covers the legitimate parents, brothers and
sisters only with proper legal document to be presented (e.g. death
certificate).4
The claim was based on the death of Hortillanos unborn

child. Hortillanos wife, Marife V. Hortillano, had a
premature delivery on 5 January 2006 while she was in the
38th week of pregnancy.5 According to the Certificate of
Fetal Death dated 7 January 2006, the female fetus died
during labor due to fetal Anoxia secondary to
uteroplacental insufficiency.6
Continental Steel immediately granted Hortillanos
claim for paternity leave but denied his claims for
bereavement leave and other death benefits, consisting of
the death and accident insurance.7
Seeking the reversal of the denial by Continental Steel
of Hortillanos claims for bereavement and other death
benefits,
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4CA Rollo, p. 26.
5Rollo, pp. 8492.
6Id., at p. 93.
7Id., at p. 86.
626
626
the Union resorted to the grievance machinery provided in

the CBA. Despite the series of conferences held, the parties
still failed to settle their dispute,8 prompting the Union to
file a Notice to Arbitrate before the National Conciliation
and Mediation Board (NCMB) of the Department of Labor
and Employment (DOLE), National Capital Region (NCR).9
In a Submission Agreement dated 9 October 2006, the
Union and Continental Steel submitted for voluntary
arbitration the sole issue of whether Hortillano was
entitled to bereavement leave and other death benefits
pursuant to Article X, Section 2 and Article XVIII, Section
4.3 of the CBA.10 The parties mutually chose Atty.
Montao, an Accredited Voluntary Arbitrator, to resolve
said issue.11
When the preliminary conferences again proved futile in
amicably settling the dispute, the parties proceeded to
submit their respective Position Papers,12 Replies,13 and
Rejoinders14 to Atty. Montao.
The Union argued that Hortillano was entitled to
bereavement leave and other death benefits pursuant to
the CBA. The Union maintained that Article X, Section 2
and Article XVIII, Section 4.3 of the CBA did not
specifically state that the dependent should have first
been born alive or must have acquired juridical personality
so that his/her subsequent death could be covered by the
CBA death benefits. The Union cited cases wherein
employees of MKK Steel Corporation (MKK Steel) and
Mayer Steel Pipe Corporation (Mayer Steel), sister
companies of Continental Steel, in similar situations as
Hortillano were able to receive death benefits under similar
provisions of their CBAs.
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8 Id., at p. 33.
9 CA Rollo, p. 60.
10Id., at p. 67.
11Id., at p. 46.
12Id., at p. 25.
13Id., at pp. 6265.
14Id., at pp. 6672.
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627
The Union mentioned in particular the case of Steve L.

Dugan (Dugan), an employee of Mayer Steel, whose wife
also prematurely delivered a fetus, which had already died
prior to the delivery. Dugan was able to receive paternity
leave, bereavement leave, and voluntary contribution
under the CBA between his union and Mayer Steel.15
Dugans child was only 24 weeks in the womb and died
before labor, as opposed to Hortillanos child who was
already 3738 weeks in the womb and only died during
labor.
The Union called attention to the fact that MKK Steel
and Mayer Steel are located in the same compound as
Continental Steel and the representatives of MKK Steel
and Mayer Steel who signed the CBA with their respective
employees unions were the same as the representatives of
Continental Steel who signed the existing CBA with the
Union.
Finally, the Union invoked Article 1702 of the Civil
Code, which provides that all doubts in labor legislations
and labor contracts shall be construed in favor of the safety
of and decent living for the laborer.
On the other hand, Continental Steel posited that the
express provision of the CBA did not contemplate the death
of an unborn child, a fetus, without legal personality. It
claimed that there are two elements for the entitlement to
the benefits, namely: (1) death and (2) status as legitimate
dependent, none of which existed in Hortillanos case.
Continental Steel, relying on Articles 40, 41 and 4216 of the
Civil Code, contended
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15Records, pp. 4653.

16 Article 40.Birth determines personality but the conceived child
shall be considered born for all purposes that are favorable to it, provided
it be born later with the conditions specified in the following article.
Article 41.For civil purposes, the foetus is considered born if it is
alive at the time it is completely delivered from the mothers womb.
However, if the foetus had an intrauterine life of less than seven months,
it is not deemed born if it dies within twentyfour hours after its complete
delivery from the maternal womb.
628
628
that only one with civil personality could die. Hence, the
unborn child never died because it never acquired juridical
personality. Proceeding from the same line of thought,
Continental Steel reasoned that a fetus that was dead from
the moment of delivery was not a person at all. Hence, the
term dependent could not be applied to a fetus that never
acquired juridical personality. A fetus that was delivered
dead could not be considered a dependent, since it never
needed any support, nor did it ever acquire the right to be
supported.
Continental Steel maintained that the wording of the
CBA was clear and unambiguous. Since neither of the
parties qualified the terms used in the CBA, the legally
accepted definitions thereof were deemed automatically
accepted by both parties. The failure of the Union to have
unborn child included in the definition of dependent, as
used in the CBAthe death of whom would have qualified
the parentemployee for bereavement leave and other
death benefitsbound the Union to the legally accepted
definition of the latter term.
Continental Steel, lastly, averred that similar cases
involving the employees of its sister companies, MKK Steel
and Mayer Steel, referred to by the Union, were irrelevant
and incompetent evidence, given the separate and distinct
personalities of the companies. Neither could the Union
sustain its claim that the grant of bereavement leave and
other death benefits to the parentemployee for the loss of
an unborn child constituted company practice.
On 20 November 2007, Atty. Montao, the appointed
Accredited Voluntary Arbitrator, issued a Resolution17
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ruling that Hortillano was entitled to bereavement leave

with pay and death benefits.
_______________
Article 42.Civil personality is extinguished by death. The effect of
death upon the rights and obligations of the deceased is determined by
law, by contract and by will.
17CA Rollo, pp. 2434.
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629
Atty. Montao identified the elements for entitlement to

said benefits, thus:
This Office declares that for the entitlement of the benefit of
bereavement leave with pay by the covered employees as provided
under Article X, Section 2 of the parties CBA, three (3)
indispensable elements must be present: (1) there is death (2)
such death must be of employees dependent and (3) such
dependent must be legitimate.
On the otherhand, for the entitlement to benefit for death and
accident insurance as provided under Article XVIII, Section 4,
paragraph (4.3) of the parties CBA, four (4) indispensable
elements must be present: (a) there is death (b) such death
must be of employees dependent (c) such dependent must be
legitimate and (d) proper legal document to be presented.18
Atty. Montao found that there was no dispute that the

death of an employees legitimate dependent occurred. The
fetus had the right to be supported by the parents from the
very moment he/she was conceived. The fetus had to rely
on another for support he/she could not have existed or
sustained himself/herself without the power or aid of
someone else, specifically, his/her mother. Therefore, the
fetus was already a dependent, although he/she died during
the labor or delivery. There was also no question that
Hortillano and his wife were lawfully married, making
their dependent, unborn child, legitimate.
In the end, Atty. Montao decreed:
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WHEREFORE, premises considered, a resolution is hereby

rendered ORDERING [herein petitioner Continental Steel] to pay
Rolando P. Hortillano the amount of Four Thousand Nine
Hundred ThirtyNine Pesos (P4,939.00), representing his
bereavement leave pay and the amount of Eleven Thousand Five
Hundred Fifty Pesos (P11,550.00) representing death benefits, or
a total amount of P16,489.00.
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18Id., at p. 32.
630
630

The complaint against Manuel Sy, however, is ORDERED

DISMISSED for lack of merit.
All other claims are DISMISSED for lack of merit.
Further, parties are hereby ORDERED to faithfully abide with
the herein dispositions.
Aggrieved, Continental Steel filed with the Court of

Appeals a Petition for Review on Certiorari,19 under
Section 1, Rule 43 of the Rules of Court, docketed as CA
G.R. SP No. 101697.
Continental Steel claimed that Atty. Montao erred in
granting Hortillanos claims for bereavement leave with
pay and other death benefits because no death of an
employees dependent had occurred. The death of a fetus, at
whatever stage of pregnancy, was excluded from the
coverage of the CBA since what was contemplated by the
CBA was the death of a legal person, and not that of a
fetus, which did not acquire any juridical personality.
Continental Steel pointed out that its contention was
bolstered by the fact that the term death was qualified by
the phrase legitimate dependent. It asserted that the status
of a child could only be determined upon said childs birth,
otherwise, no such appellation can be had. Hence, the
conditions sine qua non for Hortillanos entitlement to
bereavement leave and other death benefits under the CBA
were lacking.
The Court of Appeals, in its Decision dated 27 February
2008, affirmed Atty. Montaos Resolution dated 20
November 2007. The appellate court interpreted death to
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mean as follows:
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19Id., at pp. 218.
Art. 262A of the Labor Code as amended in relation to Section 7, Rule
XIX of Department Order No. 4003 series of 2003 provides that the
decision, order, resolution or award of the Voluntary Arbitrator shall be
final and executory after ten (10) calendar days from receipt of the copy of
the award or decision by the parties and that it shall not be subject of a
motion for reconsideration.
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[Herein petitioner Continental Steels] exposition on the legal
sense in which the term death is used in the CBA fails to
impress the Court, and the same is irrelevant for ascertaining the
purpose, which the grant of bereavement leave and death benefits
thereunder, is intended to serve. While there is no arguing with
[Continental Steel] that the acquisition of civil personality of a
child or fetus is conditioned on being born alive upon delivery, it
does not follow that such event of premature delivery of a fetus
could never be contemplated as a death as to be covered by the
CBA provision, undoubtedly an event causing loss and grief to the
affected employee, with whom the dead fetus stands in a
legitimate relation. [Continental Steel] has proposed a narrow
and technical significance to the term death of a legitimate
dependent as condition for granting bereavement leave and
death benefits under the CBA. Following [Continental Steels]
theory, there can be no experience of death to speak of. The
Court, however, does not share this view. A dead fetus simply
cannot be equated with anything less than loss of human life,
especially for the expectant parents. In this light, bereavement
leave and death benefits are meant to assuage the employee and
the latters immediate family, extend to them solace and support,
rather than an act conferring legal status or personality upon the
unborn child. [Continental Steels] insistence that the certificate
of fetal death is for statistical purposes only sadly misses this
crucial point.20
Accordingly, the fallo of the 27 February 2008 Decision

of the Court of Appeals reads:
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WHEREFORE, premises considered, the present petition is

hereby DENIED for lack of merit. The assailed Resolution dated
November 20, 2007 of Accredited Voluntary Arbitrator Atty. Allan
S. Montao is hereby AFFIRMED and UPHELD.
With costs against [herein petitioner Continental Steel].21
In a Resolution22 dated 9 May 2008, the Court of

Appeals denied the Motion for Reconsideration23 of
Continental Steel.
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20Rollo, pp. 3839.
21Id., at p. 39.
22Id., at p. 153.
23Id., at pp. 136143.
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Hence, this Petition, in which Continental Steel

persistently argues that the CBA is clear and
unambiguous, so that the literal and legal meaning of
death should be applied. Only one with juridical
personality can die and a dead fetus never acquired a
juridical personality.
We are not persuaded.
As Atty. Montao identified, the elements for
bereavement leave under Article X, Section 2 of the CBA
are: (1) death (2) the death must be of a dependent, i.e.,
parent, spouse, child, brother, or sister, of an employee
and (3) legitimate relations of the dependent to the
employee. The requisites for death and accident insurance
under Article XVIII, Section 4(3) of the CBA are: (1) death
(2) the death must be of a dependent, who could be a
parent, spouse, or child of a married employee or a parent,
brother, or sister of a single employee and (4) presentation
of the proper legal document to prove such death, e.g.,
death certificate.
It is worthy to note that despite the repeated assertion
of Continental Steel that the provisions of the CBA are
clear and unambiguous, its fundamental argument for
denying Hortillanos claim for bereavement leave and other
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death benefits rests on the purportedly proper

interpretation of the terms death and dependent as
used in the CBA. If the provisions of the CBA are indeed
clear and unambiguous, then there is no need to resort to
the interpretation or construction of the same. Moreover,
Continental Steel itself admitted that neither management
nor the Union sought to define the pertinent terms for
bereavement leave and other death benefits during the
negotiation of the CBA.
The reliance of Continental Steel on Articles 40, 41 and
42 of the Civil Code for the legal definition of death is
misplaced. Article 40 provides that a conceived child
acquires personality only when it is born, and Article 41
defines when a child is considered born. Article 42 plainly
states that civil personality is extinguished by death.
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First, the issue of civil personality is not relevant herein.

Articles 40, 41 and 42 of the Civil Code on natural persons,
must be applied in relation to Article 37 of the same Code,
the very first of the general provisions on civil personality,
which reads:
Art.37.Juridical capacity, which is the fitness to be the
subject of legal relations, is inherent in every natural person and
is lost only through death. Capacity to act, which is the power to
do acts with legal effect, is acquired and may be lost.
We need not establish civil personality of the unborn child

herein since his/her juridical capacity and capacity to act as
a person are not in issue. It is not a question before us
whether the unborn child acquired any rights or incurred
any obligations prior to his/her death that were passed on
to or assumed by the childs parents. The rights to
bereavement leave and other death benefits in the instant
case pertain directly to the parents of the unborn child
upon the latters death.
Second, Sections 40, 41 and 42 of the Civil Code do not
provide at all a definition of death. Moreover, while the
Civil Code expressly provides that civil personality may be
extinguished by death, it does not explicitly state that only
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those who have acquired juridical personality could die.

And third, death has been defined as the cessation of
life.24 Life is not synonymous with civil personality. One
need not acquire civil personality first before he/she could
die. Even a child inside the womb already has life. No less
than the Constitution recognizes the life of the unborn
from conception,25 that the State must protect equally
with the life of the
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24Blacks Law Dictionary.
25Article II, Section 12 of the Constitution reads in full:
Sec.12.The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall
protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social
institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother and the
life of the unborn from conception. The natural and primary
634
634
mother. If the unborn already has life, then the cessation

thereof even prior to the child being delivered, qualifies as
death.
Likewise, the unborn child can be considered a
dependent under the CBA. As Continental Steel itself
defines, a dependent is one who relies on another for
support one not able to exist or sustain oneself without the
power or aid of someone else. Under said general
definition,26 even an unborn child is a dependent of its
parents. Hortillanos child could not have reached 3839
weeks of its gestational life without depending upon its
mother, Hortillanos wife, for sustenance. Additionally, it is
explicit in the CBA provisions in question that the
dependent may be the parent, spouse, or child of a married
employee or the parent, brother, or sister of a single
employee. The CBA did not provide a qualification for the
child dependent, such that the child must have been born
or must have acquired civil personality, as Continental
Steel avers. Without such qualification, then child shall be
understood in its more general sense, which includes the
unborn fetus in the mothers womb.
The term legitimate merely addresses the dependent
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childs status in relation to his/her parents. In Angeles v.

Maglaya,27 we have expounded on who is a legitimate
child, viz.:
A legitimate child is a product of, and, therefore, implies a valid
and lawful marriage. Remove the element of lawful union and
there is
_______________
right and duty of parents in the rearing of the youth for civic efficiency and the
development of moral character shall receive the support of the Government.
26As opposed to the more limited or precise definition of a dependent child for
income tax purposes, which means a legitimate, illegitimate or legally adopted
child chiefly dependent upon and living with the taxpayer if such dependent is not
more than twentyone (21) years of age, unmarried and not gainfully employed or
if such dependent, regardless of age, is incapable of selfsupport because of mental
or physical defect.
27G.R. No. 153798, 2 September 2005, 469 SCRA 363, 369.
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VOL. 603, October 13, 2009
635
strictly no legitimate filiation between parents and child. Article

164 of the Family Code cannot be more emphatic on the matter:
Children conceived or born during the marriage of the parents
are legitimate. (Emphasis ours.)
Conversely, in Briones v. Miguel,28 we identified an

illegitimate child to be as follows:
The fine distinctions among the various types of illegitimate
children have been eliminated in the Family Code. Now, there are
only two classes of childrenlegitimate (and those who, like the
legally adopted, have the rights of legitimate children) and
illegitimate. All children conceived and born outside a valid
marriage are illegitimate, unless the law itself gives them
legitimate status. (Emphasis ours.)
It is apparent that according to the Family Code and the

aforecited jurisprudence, the legitimacy or illegitimacy of a
child attaches upon his/her conception. In the present case,
it was not disputed that Hortillano and his wife were
validly married and that their child was conceived during
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said marriage, hence, making said child legitimate upon

her conception.
Also incontestable is the fact that Hortillano was able to
comply with the fourth element entitling him to death and
accident insurance under the CBA, i.e., presentation of the
death certificate of his unborn child.
Given the existence of all the requisites for bereavement
leave and other death benefits under the CBA, Hortillanos
claims for the same should have been granted by
Continental Steel.
We emphasize that bereavement leave and other death
benefits are granted to an employee to give aid to, and if
possible, lessen the grief of, the said employee and his
family who suffered the loss of a loved one. It cannot be
said that the parents grief and sense of loss arising from
the death of their
_______________
28483 Phil. 483, 491 440 SCRA 455, 463 (2004).
636
636
unborn child, who, in this case, had a gestational life of 38

39 weeks but died during delivery, is any less than that of
parents whose child was born alive but died subsequently.
Being for the benefit of the employee, CBA provisions on
bereavement leave and other death benefits should be
interpreted liberally to give life to the intentions thereof.
Time and again, the Labor Code is specific in enunciating
that in case of doubt in the interpretation of any law or
provision affecting labor, such should be interpreted in
favor of labor.29 In the same way, the CBA and CBA
provisions should be interpreted in favor of labor. In
Marcopper Mining v. National Labor Relations
Commission,30 we pronounced:
Finally, petitioner misinterprets the declaration of the Labor
Arbiter in the assailed decision that when the pendulum of
judgment swings to and fro and the forces are equal on both sides,
the same must be stilled in favor of labor. While petitioner
acknowledges that all doubts in the interpretation of the Labor
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Code shall be resolved in favor of labor, it insists that what is

involvedhere is the amended CBA which is essentially a contract
between private persons. What petitioner has lost sight of is the
avowed policy of the State, enshrined in our Constitution, to
accord utmost protection and justice to labor, a policy, we are,
likewise, sworn to uphold.
In Philippine Telegraph & Telephone Corporation v. NLRC
[183 SCRA 451 (1990)], we categorically stated that:
When conflicting interests of labor and capital are to be
weighed on the scales of social justice, the heavier influence
of the latter should be counterbalanced by sympathy and
compassion the law must accord the underprivileged
worker.
Likewise, in Terminal Facilities and Services Corporation v.
NLRC [199 SCRA 265 (1991)], we declared:
Any doubt concerning the rights of labor should be
resolved in its favor pursuant to the social justice policy.
_______________
29Faculty Association of Mapua Institute of Technology (FAMIT) v.
Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 164060, 15 June 2007, 524 SCRA 709, 716.
30325 Phil. 618, 634635 255 SCRA 322, 334 (1996).
637
VOL. 603, October 13, 2009
637
IN VIEW WHEREOF, the Petition is DENIED. The

Decision dated 27 February 2008 and Resolution dated 9
May 2008 of the Court of Appeals in CAG.R. SP No.
101697, affirming the Resolution dated 20 November 2007
of Accredited Voluntary Arbitrator Atty. Allan S. Montao,
which granted to Rolando P. Hortillano bereavement leave
pay and other death benefits in the amounts of Four
Thousand Nine Hundred ThirtyNine Pesos (P4,939.00)
and Eleven Thousand Five Hundred Fifty Pesos
(P11,550.00), respectively, grounded on the death of his
unborn child, are AFFIRMED. Costs against Continental
Steel Manufacturing Corporation.
SO ORDERED.
Carpio (Chairperson), Velasco, Jr., Nachura and
Peralta, JJ., concur.
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9/2/2015
Petition denied, judgment and resolution affirmed.

Notes.A seller cannot transfer title over a lot, through
a Deed of Absolute Sale, to a person who has already died,
as the deceased has no more civil personality or juridical
capacity. (Dawson vs. Register of Deeds of Quezon City, 295
SCRA 733 [1998])
A party claiming benefits for the death of a seafarer due
to a workrelated illness must be able to show that: (1) the
death occurred during the term of his employment, and (2)
the illness is workrelated. (Estate of Posedio Ortega vs.
Court of Appeals, 553 SCRA 649 [2008])
o0o
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9/2/2015

G.R. No. 182836.October 13, 2009.*

SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

Same Same Same Same Same Same Legitimate Children

VOL. 603, October 13, 2009

Continental Steel Manufacturing Corporation vs. Montao

legitimate child, viz.: A legitimate child is a product of, and,

and again, the Labor Code is specific in enunciating that in case

PETITION for review on certiorari of the decision and

SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

Continental Steel Manufacturing Corporation vs. Montao

The facts are stated in the opinion of the Court.

1Penned by Associate Justice Martin S. Villarama, Jr. with Associate Justices

VOL. 603, October 13, 2009

Continental Steel Manufacturing Corporation vs. Montao

death of the employees legitimate dependent (parents, spouse,

The claim was based on the death of Hortillanos unborn

SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

Continental Steel Manufacturing Corporation vs. Montao

the Union resorted to the grievance machinery provided in

VOL. 603, October 13, 2009

Continental Steel Manufacturing Corporation vs. Montao

The Union mentioned in particular the case of Steve L.

15Records, pp. 4653.

SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

Continental Steel Manufacturing Corporation vs. Montao

ruling that Hortillano was entitled to bereavement leave

VOL. 603, October 13, 2009

Continental Steel Manufacturing Corporation vs. Montao

Atty. Montao identified the elements for entitlement to

Atty. Montao found that there was no dispute that the

WHEREFORE, premises considered, a resolution is hereby

SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

The complaint against Manuel Sy, however, is ORDERED

Aggrieved, Continental Steel filed with the Court of

VOL. 603, October 13, 2009

Continental Steel Manufacturing Corporation vs. Montao

Accordingly, the fallo of the 27 February 2008 Decision

WHEREFORE, premises considered, the present petition is

In a Resolution22 dated 9 May 2008, the Court of

SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

Continental Steel Manufacturing Corporation vs. Montao

Hence, this Petition, in which Continental Steel

death benefits rests on the purportedly proper

VOL. 603, October 13, 2009

Continental Steel Manufacturing Corporation vs. Montao

First, the issue of civil personality is not relevant herein.

We need not establish civil personality of the unborn child

those who have acquired juridical personality could die.

SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

Continental Steel Manufacturing Corporation vs. Montao

mother. If the unborn already has life, then the cessation

childs status in relation to his/her parents. In Angeles v.

VOL. 603, October 13, 2009

Continental Steel Manufacturing Corporation vs. Montao

strictly no legitimate filiation between parents and child. Article

Conversely, in Briones v. Miguel,28 we identified an

It is apparent that according to the Family Code and the

said marriage, hence, making said child legitimate upon

SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED

Continental Steel Manufacturing Corporation vs. Montao

unborn child, who, in this case, had a gestational life of 38

Code shall be resolved in favor of labor, it insists that what is