THE National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) has ordered a Cebu-based religious group to give its three personnel their separation pay and back wages totaling to P1.27 million.
The NLRC’s 7th Division in Cebu City granted the petitioners’ appeal and ruled that Living Word Christian Churches of Cebu International Inc. illegally terminated the services of its three key personnel.
The employees of the religious ministry were Gwin Ceniza, Joseph Beltran and his wife Norma.
Ceniza worked as the church officer manager, school director and manager of the prayer mountain at the same time.
Joseph and Norma served as the ministry’s senior administrator and school principal.
Last March 10, 2015, Ceniza was preparing for her trip from the United States back to the Philippines when she was informed that the church’s Board of Elders unanimously approved to terminate her services for mismanagement, system failure and absences.
For the Beltran couple, they resigned after being assured by Pastor Mel Caparros of their separation pay.
Trusting Caparros’ words, the couple tendered their resignation letter dated March 17, 2015, which took effect about a month later.
But despite constant follow-up, the Beltran couple did not receive the promised separation pay.
Ceniza and her husband, Dr. Ross, started the ministry as a mere weekly Bible study among their boarders, friends and neighbors in 1982.
Later, the church membership grew to a larger number, which encouraged businessmen to join their church.
Management
In 2010, the Ceniza couple immigrated to the United States. They were also tasked by Pastor Caparros to assist members of the Living Word Lakewood in Los Angeles, California in settling their indifferences.
Last March 10, 2015, the church’s Board of Elders asked Gwin Ceniza to step down from her responsibilities in both the church and the school due to mismanagement that allegedly resulted in P5.9 million in debts in 14 years.
She denied such accusations.
Gwin claimed she was denied due process in the termination of her employment.
The Beltran couple withdrew their resignation letter after Caparros refused to release their separation pay, which reportedly irked the pastor.
The couple was also barred from returning to their positions.
For its part, the ministry said that the concerns surfaced when the students’ parents complained about how the school was mismanaged.
The complaints stemmed from the perceived incompetence of Beltran as then school principal, as well as other teachers and non-teaching staff.
The ministry’s Board of Elders, after conducting its investigation, discovered that the school siphoned church funds through unauthorized transferring of the church funds to the school of about P5.9 million.
In the decision, the NLRC ruled that the Beltran couple tendered their resignation upon the assurance of Caparros, who promised to release their separation pay.
The labor commission ruled that the Beltrans were illegally dismissed from their positions.
The NLRC ordered the ministry to pay Ceniza’s separation pay of P574, 670. On the other hand, Joseph and Norma were awarded their separation fees of P357, 838 and P337, 536.