CABANATUAN CITY, Philippines – The National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) yesterday officially reinstated a university president who was unseated from his post two years ago, in a tension-filled return marked by a confrontation between a female sheriff and school officials.
Professor Manuel Palomo Sr. was accompanied by NLRC-Region 3 sheriff Aida Gervacio who served at 10 a.m. yesterday the writ of execution of the 28-page March 11 decision issued by regional labor arbiter Mariano Bactin, which ruled that Palomo’s dismissal as Wesleyan University (WUP) president was illegal and unjustified.
With Palomo was his son and namesake Manuel Jr. who was also ordered reinstated as chief administrative officer by the NLRC.
The elder Palomo was ousted last March 11, 2012 in a resolution of the WUP’s board of trustees. His ouster was affirmed on the same day by the United Methodist Church’s College of Bishops (COB) that selects the university’s president and trustees.
In ordering Palomo Sr. reinstated, the NLRC also ordered the board of trustees and the COB to indemnify him with P8.544 million in back wages; actual, moral and exemplary damages, and attorney’s fees. Palomo was represented in the labor suit by lawyer Valentino F.P. Alberto.
The writ’s serving was marred by tension when Gervacio confronted university officials and security officers manning the gate when they barred her and the Palomos from entering the university compound allegedly on instructions by the school’s officer-in-charge (OIC), Pacifico Aniag.
Gervacio was met outside the school’s premises by Ma. Niña Regala, Aniag’s secretary and general services officer Crisaldo Vicencio. Regala received the copy of the writ and signed it in the presence of the media, the school’s security officers and two lawmen who stood guard outside.
Aniag was not around when the writ was served. He has not been returning calls nor answering text messages on his mobile phone.
His executive assistant, Reynaldo Samonte, said he was on a four-day meeting in his hometown in Bulacan and would return on Friday.
Samonte said they would not allow Palomo to go inside the school since they have secured an injunction preventing him from entering the school compound.
With the serving of the writ, Gervacio said Palomo Sr. is now considered officially reinstated even if he has not set foot in the university even with the injunction, which, she said, is not permanent. She said his reinstatement is effective March 11 when the decision was handed out.
Palomo Sr. said that based on the sheriff’s implementation of the writ of execution, which has become final, he said he expects Aniag to step down as OIC to give way to him.