Domingo v. Rayala (2008)

Domingo v. Rayala, G.R. No. 155831, 155840, and 158700, February 18, 2008, Per Nachura, J.

• On November 16, 1998, [M.L.] Domingo (Domingo), then Stenographic Reporter III at the NLRC, filed a Complaint for sexual harassment against [then NLRC Chairman] Rayala x x x

• To support the Complaint, Domingo executed an Affidavit narrating the incidences of sexual harassment complained of, thus:

x x x x

4. Sa simula ay pabulong na sinasabihan lang ako ni Chairman Rayala ng mga salitang “Lot, gumaganda ka yata?”

5. Sa ibang mga pagkakataon nilalapitan na ako ni Chairman at hahawakan ang aking balikat sabay pisil sa mga ito habang ako ay nagta-type at habang nagbibigay siya ng diktasyon. Sa mga pagkakataong ito, kinakabahan ako. Natatakot na baka mangyari sa akin ang mga napapabalitang insidente na nangyari na noon tungkol sa mga sekretarya niyang nagbitiw gawa ng mga mahahalay na panghihipo ni Chairman.

6. Noong ika-10 ng Setyembre, 1998, nang ako ay nasa 8th Floor, may nagsabi sa akin na kailangan akong bumaba sa 7th Floor kung nasaan ang aming opisina dahil sa may koreksyon daw na gagawin sa mga papel na tinayp ko. Bumaba naman ako para gawin ito. Habang ginagawa ko ito, lumabas si Chairman Rayala sa silid ni Mr. Alex Lopez. Inutusan ako ni Chairman na sumunod sa kaniyang silid. Nang nasa silid na kami, sinabi niya sa akin:

Chairman: Lot, I like you a lot. Naiiba ka sa lahat.

At pagkatapos ako ay kaniyang inusisa tungkol sa mga personal na bagay sa aking buhay. Ang ilan dito ay tungkol sa aking mga magulang, kapatid, pag-aaral at kung may boyfriend na raw ba ako.

Chairman: May boyfriend ka na ba?

Lourdes: Dati nagkaroon po.

Chairman: Nasaan na siya?

Lourdes: Nag-asawa na ho.

Chairman: Bakit hindi kayo nagkatuluyan?

Lourdes: Nainip po.

Chairman: Pagkatapos mo ng kurso mo ay kumuha ka ng Law at ako ang bahala sa iyo, hanggang ako pa ang Chairman dito.

Pagkatapos ay kumuha siya ng pera sa kaniyang amerikana at inaabot sa akin.

Chairman: Kuhanin mo ito.

Lourdes: Huwag na ho hindi ko kailangan.

Chairman: Hindi sige, kuhanin mo. Ayusin mo ang dapat ayusin.

Tinanggap ko po ang pera ng may pag-aalinlangan. Natatakot at kinakabahan na kapag hindi ko tinanggap ang pera ay baka siya magagalit kasabay na rito ang pagtapon sa akin kung saan-saan opisina o kaya ay tanggalin ako sa posisyon.

Chairman: Paglabas mo itago mo ang pera. Ayaw ko ng may makaka-alam nito. Just the two of us.

Lourdes: Bakit naman, Sir?

Chairman: Basta. Maraming tsismosa diyan sa labas. But I don’t give them a damn. Hindi ako mamatay sa kanila.

Tumayo na ako at lumabas. Pumanhik na ako ng 8th Floor at pumunta ako sa officemate ko na si Agnes Magdaet. Ikinwento ko ang nangyari sa akin sa opisina ni Chairman. Habang kinikwento ko ito kay Agnes ay binilang namin ang pera na nagkakahalaga ng tatlong libong piso (PHP 3,000). Sinabi ni Agnes na isauli ko raw ang pera, pero ang sabi ko ay natatakot ako baka magalit si Sir. Nagsabi agad kami kay EC Perlita Velasco at sinalaysay ko ang nangyari. Sinabi niya na isauli ko ang pera at noong araw ding iyon ay nagpasiya akong isauli na nga ito ngunit hindi ako nagkaroon ng pagkakataon dahil marami siyang naging bisita. Isinauli ko nga ang pera noong Lunes, Setyembre 14, 1998.

7. Noong huling linggo ng Setyembre, 1998, ay may tinanong din sa akin si Chairman Rayala na hindi ko masikmura, at sa aking palagay at tahasang pambabastos sa akin.

Chairman: Lot, may ka live-in ka ba?

Lourdes: Sir, wala po.

Chairman: Bakit malaki ang balakang mo?

Lourdes: Kayo, Sir ha! Masama sa amin ang may ka live-in.

Chairman: Bakit, ano ba ang relihiyon ninyo?

Lourdes: Catholic, Sir. Kailangan ikasal muna.

Chairman: Bakit ako, hindi kasal.

Lourdes: Sir, di magpakasal kayo.

Chairman: Huh. Ibahin na nga natin ang usapan.

8. Noong Oktubre 29, 1998, ako ay pumasok sa kwarto ni Chairman Rayala. Ito ay sa kadahilanang ang fax machine ay nasa loob ng kaniyang kwarto. Ang nag-aasikaso nito, si Riza Ocampo, ay naka-leave kaya ako ang nag-asikaso nito noong araw na iyon. Nang mabigyan ko na ng fax tone yung kausap ko, pagharap ko sa kanan ay nakaharang sa dadaanan ko si Chairman Rayala. Tinitingnan ako sa mata at ang titig niya ay umuusad mula ulo hanggang dibdib tapos ay ngumiti na may mahalay na pakahulugan.

9. Noong hapon naman ng pareho pa ring petsa, may nag-aapply na sekretarya sa opisina, sinabi ko ito kay Chairman Rayala:

Lourdes: Sir, si Pinky po yung applicant, mag-papainterview po yata sa inyo.

Chairman: Sabihin mo magpa-pap smear muna siya

Chairman: O sige, i-refer mo kay Alex. (Alex Lopez, Chief of Staff).

10. Noong Nobyembre 9, 1998, ako ay tinawag ni Chairman Rayala sa kaniyang opisina upang kuhanin ko ang diktasyon niya para kay ELA Oscar Uy. Hindi pa kami nakakatapos ng unang talata, may pumasok na bisita si Chairman, si Baby Pangilinan na sinamahan ni Riza Ocampo. Pinalabas muna ako ni Chairman. Nang maka-alis na si Ms. Pangilinan, pinapasok na niya ako ulit. Umupo ako. Lumapit sa likuran ko si Chairman, hinawakan ang kaliwang balikat ko na pinipisil ng kanang kamay niya at sinabi:

Chairman: Saan na ba tayo natapos?

Palakad-lakad siya sa aking likuran habang nag-didikta. Huminto siya pagkatapos, at nilagay niya ang kanang kamay niya sa aking kanang balikat at pinisil-pisil ito pagkatapos ay pinagapang niya ito sa kanang bahagi ng aking leeg, at pinagapang hanggang kanang tenga at saka kiniliti. Dito ko inalis ang kaniyang kamay sa pamamagitan ng aking kaliwang kamay. At saka ko sinabi:

Lourdes: Sir, yung kamay ninyo alisin niyo!

Natapos ko rin ang liham na pinagagawa niya pero halos hindi ko na maintindihan ang na-isulat ko dahil sa takot at inis na nararamdaman ko.

• After the last incident narrated, Domingo filed for leave of absence and asked to be immediately transferred. Thereafter, she filed the Complaint for sexual harassment x x x

[SC RESOLUTION]

• Invoking Aquino v. Acosta, Rayala argues that the case is the definitive ruling on what constitutes sexual harassment. Thus, he posits that for sexual harassment to exist under RA 7877, there must be: (a) demand, request, or requirement of a sexual favor; (b) the same is made a pre-condition to hiring, re-employment, or continued employment; or (c) the denial thereof results in discrimination against the employee.

• Rayala asserts that Domingo has failed to allege and establish any sexual favor, demand, or request from petitioner in exchange for her continued employment or for her promotion. According to Rayala, the acts imputed to him are without malice or ulterior motive. It was merely Domingo’s perception of malice in his alleged acts – a “product of her own imagination” – that led her to file the sexual harassment complaint.

We find respondent’s insistence unconvincing.

• [E]ven if we were to test Rayala’s acts strictly by the standards set in Section 3, RA 7877, he would still be administratively liable. It is true that this provision calls for a “demand, request or requirement of a sexual favor.” But it is not necessary that the demand, request or requirement of a sexual favor be articulated in a categorical oral or written statement. It may be discerned, with equal certitude, from the acts of the offender. Holding and squeezing Domingo’s shoulders, running his fingers across her neck and tickling her ear, having inappropriate conversations with her, giving her money allegedly for school expenses with a promise of future privileges, and making statements with unmistakable sexual overtones – all these acts of Rayala resound with deafening clarity the unspoken request for a sexual favor.

• Likewise, contrary to Rayala’s claim, it is not essential that the demand, request or requirement be made as a condition for continued employment or for promotion to a higher position. It is enough that the respondent’s acts result in creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment for the employee. That the acts of Rayala generated an intimidating and hostile environment for Domingo is clearly shown by the common factual finding of the Investigating Committee, the OP and the CA that Domingo reported the matter to an officemate and, after the last incident, filed for a leave of absence and requested transfer to another unit.

• Rayala’s invocation of Aquino v. Acosta is misplaced, because the factual setting in that case is different from that in the case at bench. In Aquino, Atty. Susan Aquino, Chief of the Legal and Technical Staff of the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA), charged then CTA Presiding Judge (now Presiding Justice) Ernesto Acosta of sexual harassment. She complained of several incidents when Judge Acosta allegedly kissed her, embraced her, and put his arm around her shoulder. The case was referred to CA Justice Josefina G. Salonga for investigation. In her report, Justice Salonga found that “the complainant failed to show by convincing evidence that the acts of Judge Acosta in greeting her with a kiss on the cheek, in a `beso-beso’ fashion, were carried out with lustful and lascivious desires or were motivated by malice or ill motive. It is clear from the circumstances that most of the kissing incidents were done on festive and special occasions,” and they “took place in the presence of other people and the same was by reason of the exaltation or happiness of the moment.” Thus, Justice Salonga concluded:

In all the incidents complained of, the respondent’s pecks on the cheeks of the complainant should be understood in the context of having been done on the occasion of some festivities, and not the assertion of the latter that she was singled out by Judge Acosta in his kissing escapades. The busses on her cheeks were simply friendly and innocent, bereft of malice and lewd design. The fact that respondent judge kisses other people on the cheeks in the ‘beso-beso’ fashion, without malice, was corroborated by Atty. Florecita P. Flores, Ms. Josephine Adalem and Ms. Ma. Fides Balili, who stated that they usually practice ‘beso-beso’ or kissing on the cheeks, as a form of greeting on occasions when they meet each other, like birthdays, Christmas, New Year’s Day and even Valentine’s Day, and it does not matter whether it is Judge Acosta’s birthday or their birthdays. Theresa Cinco Bactat, a lawyer who belongs to complainant’s department, further attested that on occasions like birthdays, respondent judge would likewise greet her with a peck on the cheek in a ‘beso-beso’ manner. Interestingly, in one of several festive occasions, female employees of the CTA pecked respondent judge on the cheek where Atty. Aquino was one of Judge Acosta’s well wishers.

In sum, no sexual harassment had indeed transpired on those six occasions. Judge Acosta’s acts of bussing Atty. Aquino on her cheek were merely forms of greetings, casual and customary in nature. No evidence of intent to sexually harass complainant was apparent, only that the innocent acts of ‘beso-beso’ were given malicious connotations by the complainant. In fact, she did not even relate to anyone what happened to her. Undeniably, there is no manifest sexual undertone in all those incidents.

• This Court agreed with Justice Salonga, and Judge Acosta was exonerated.

• To repeat, this factual milieu in Aquino does not obtain in the case at bench. While in Aquino, the Court interpreted the acts (of Judge Acosta) as casual gestures of friendship and camaraderie, done during festive or special occasions and with other people present, in the instant case, Rayala’s acts of holding and squeezing Domingo’s shoulders, running his fingers across her neck and tickling her ear, and the inappropriate comments, were all made in the confines of Rayala’s office when no other members of his staff were around. More importantly, and a circumstance absent in Aquino, Rayala’s acts, as already adverted to above, produced a hostile work environment for Domingo, as shown by her having reported the matter to an officemate and, after the last incident, filing for a leave of absence and requesting transfer to another unit.