Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), petitioners Versus National Wages and Productivity Commission and Regional Tripartite

Wages and Productivity Board NCR! Trade "nion Congress of the Philippines (T"CP)
#acts$ 1. October 15, 1990 Regional Board of National Capital Region issued Wage Order No. NCR-01, increasing t e !ini!u! "age of #1$ dail% in NCR. &'C# !o(ed for reconsideration. )o did #*+#. ,. October ,-, 1990 Regional Board issued Wage Order No.01-+ a!ending NCR-01. +ll "or.ers e(en t ose " o alread% reac t e !ini!u! "age of #1,5 s all recei(e an increase b% #1$. -. /CO# 0uestions t e (alidit% of Wage Order NCR-01-+ pro!ulgated pursuant to R+ No.1$,$
R% &'('$ 2 +n +ct to rationali3e "age polic% deter!ination b% establis ing t e *ec anis! and #roper )tandards. & erefore, a!ending for t e purpose +rt. 99 of and incorporating +rticles 1,0, 1,1, 1,-, 1,4, 1,1, and 1,$, into, #residential 5ecree no. 44, as a!ended, ot er"ise .no"n as t e labor Code of t e # ilippines for 6ndustrial dispersal to t e countr%side and for ot er purposes,7

4. /CO# appealed to National Wages and #roducti(it% Co!!ission. 5is!iss b% NW#C on No(e!ber 1, denied reconsideration of t e sa!e on No(. 14, 1990. 5. /CO# pra%ed for t e reinstate!ent of W.O. No.NCR-01 " ic is anc ored on t e floor-"age !et od rat er t an t e present " ic is i!ple!enting t e ceiling !et od. )ssues$ 1. W8N t e Regional Board acted in e9cess of aut orit% in passing W.O. No. NCR-01-+:
;R+ 1$,$ according to /CO# s ould i!pose !ini!u! "ages not ceilings, pro!otes CB+ and cannot pre-e!pt t e sa!e
b% i!ple!enting ceilings.<

,. W8N t ere is in(alid delegation of "age as a legislati(e function b% R+ 1$,$ to t e Regional Board: Or unla"ful act of legislation:
;/CO# 6nsist= R+ 1$,$ s ould not go be%ond 2po"er to grant !ini!u! "age ad>ust!ents7 and 2in t e absence of clear statutor% aut orit%7 and boards !a% no !ore t an ad>ust 2floor "ages7 ;not ceilings<<

*eld$ 1. NO. & e board did not act in e9cess in aut orit%. & e court is in opinion t at Congress !eant boards to be creati(e in resol(ing t e annual 0uestion of "ages "8out t e labor and !anage!ent .noc.ing on t e legislation door e(er% ti!e. +ct is not an effort to pass t e buc. or abdicate its dut% but to lea(e 0uestions of "ages to t e e9pertise of t e e9perts Court noted t e increasing trend is t e salar%-cap !et od;ceiling< not t e floor-"age !et od. CB+ did not elp !uc in t e Wage 5istortion proble!s but t e cap-!et od did. 2R+ 1$,$ intended to rationali3e "ages=
1. ,. #ro(ide full-ti!e boards to police "ages round t e cloc. ?i(ing t e boards enoug po"er to ac ie(e goal

,. NO. & ere is no in(alid delegation b% R+ 1$,$ or unla"ful act of legislation b% t e Regional Board.

National Wage and #roducti(it% Co!!ission noted t at deter!ination of "ages in(ol(e ,

!et ods@ 2floor-"age7 and 2salar%-ceiling7. & e ,nd !et od is used in t e R+ 1$,$.

Court is not con(inced t at t e board perfor!ed an unla"ful act of legislation. 6n fact it is,
a. true "age-fi9ing b. 6n t e lig t of floor-"age !et od failure, t e Court belie(es t at t e Co!!ission correctl% up eld t e Regional Board of NCR.

+ct is !eant to rationali3e "ages t erefore a(ing per!anent boards decide "age rat er t an lea(ing "age deter!ination to t e congress %ear after %ear and la" after la". -. Austice Cru3, 2"it t e proliferation of speciali3ed acti(ities and t eir attendant peculiar proble!s, t e national legislature as found it !ore necessar% to entrust to ad!inistrati(e agencies t e po"er of subordinate legislation. +EC),)ON$ W*ERE#ORE! pre!ises considered, t e petition is +EN)E+- No pronounce!ent as to t e costs. )T ), ,O OR+ERE+*elencio-Berrera, et al.