- Petitioner
- Teodoro N. Florendo
- Respondent
- Hon. Judge Luis R. Ruiz
- Citation
- G.R. No. 64571
- Court
- Supreme Court
- Division
- First Division
- Ponente
- Gancayco, J.
- Decided
- February 21, 1989
Summary
This Supreme Court case resolved the correct interpretation of a Court of Appeals decision in an employment termination case. Teodoro Florendo, a Silliman University employee illegally dismissed in 1962, won damages at trial court which was affirmed by the Court of Appeals with additional compensatory damages and interest. A dispute arose between two trial judges over which amounts should earn interest. The Supreme Court ruled that interest at 6% per annum applies to all awarded amounts (moral damages, exemplary damages, retirement funds, attorney's fees, and compensatory damages) from complaint filing until full payment, clarifying that the Civil Code's 6% legal interest rate applies rather than the Central Bank's 12% rate which covers only loans. The case demonstrates proper interpretation of dispositive portions in judgments and distinguishes applicable interest rates for different types of obligations.