- Petitioner
- Sillano
- Respondent
- Philippines
- Citation
- G.R. No. 273562
- Court
- From Labor Arbiter (LA) to NLRC to Court of Appeals (CA) to Supreme Court (SC)
- Division
- Third Division
- Ponente
- Gaerlan, J.
- Decided
- February 24, 2025
Summary
This case involves a dispute between a Senior Engineer, Santiago DJ. Sillano, and his employer, JGC Philippines, Inc., regarding the ownership of computer programs developed during his employment. After Sillano placed security locks on the programs, JGC placed him under preventive suspension and subsequently terminated him for willful disobedience. While the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) eventually recognized Sillano as the owner of the programs, the labor tribunals focused on the legality of his dismissal. The NLRC and the Court of Appeals both ruled that while the preventive suspension was valid (as it was a protective measure pending ownership determination), the dismissal was illegal because the order to surrender the programs was not a 'lawful or reasonable' order given the disputed ownership. The Supreme Court affirmed the CA's decision, denying Sillano's claims for damages and unpaid benefits because they were not raised in the initial labor proceedings and lacked evidentiary support. The Court modified the decision to include a 6% annual legal interest on the awarded separation pay and backwages.