Iloilo newspaper ordered to pay P1M to 7 dismissed employees

ILOILO CITY—The National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) has ordered a newspaper here to release P1 million in back wages and separation pay to seven former employees who, the NLRC said, had been illegally terminated.

In a 10-page resolution issued on Sept. 17, the NLRC subregional arbitration branch, ruled that The News Today (TNT) illegally dismissed the seven employees on March 1.

“The respondents never complied with the requirement of substantial and procedural due process before dismissing the complainants,” according to the resolution issued by labor arbiter Rodrigo Camacho.

The TNT officials did not respond to requests of the Inquirer for comment.

The newspaper management was ordered to pay at least P1 million to former news editor Maricyn de los Santos, senior reporters Montesa Caoyonan and Jennifer Rendon; photographer Ricky Alejo, marketing supervisor Ramon Salvilla, graphic designer and layout artist Ely Pineda, and delivery boy Roy Amoto.

Ordered to pay the complainants were businessman Rommel Ynion, publisher Junep Ocampo and other officers of the Maxposure Inc., which owns the newspaper—Jose Gerardo Villacarlos, Hernan Ynion, Michael Robert Ynion and Carlo Gene Ynion.