Loots score in labor row

THE family of Daanbantayan Mayor Ma. Luisa Loot scored a victory in a legal battle against two laborers who claimed to be illegally dismissed by the couple.

The Supreme Court affirmed two separate rulings of the Courts of Appeals and the National Labor Relations Commissions (NLRC) which found no basis to hold Loot and her husband Vicente liable for terminating the services of Marticio Semblante and Dubrick Pilar.

Semblante and Pilar were hired by the couple as the official “masiador” and “sentenciador” respectively at the Gallera de Mandaue sometime in 1993.  The couple owns the cockpit arena.

As masiador, Semblante “calls and takes the bets from gamecock owners and other bettors, as well as orders the start of the cockfight.”

Also, Semblante “distributes the winnings after deducting the “arriba” or the commission from the cockpit.”

On the other hand, Pilar oversees the “gaffing of fighting cocks, determines the fighting cocks’ physical condition and capabilities to continue the cockfight, and eventually declares the result of the cockfight.”

Semblante receives a payment of P2,000 every week while Pilar gets P3,500 a week.

They said they employees’ identification cards were issued to them.

However, on November 14, 2003, they were not allowed to go inside the cockpit upon the instructions of the Loot couple.

They were also told that their services were no longer needed. /ADOR VINCENT S. MAYOL