Dismissed workers file libel cases vs JHMC head, 7 others

BAGUIO CITY – A former employee who was allegedly illegally dismissed from work filed libel charges before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor here July 9 against the chairman and president of John Hay Management Corp. and three other officials.

Ma. Cristina R. Corona, the officer in charge and chief executive officer, president and chief operations officer with JHMC corporate legal officer Jean Pantaleon, human resource officer Vina Tandoc and public relations officer Sheryll Datinguinoo were formally charged with libel by former employee Nonnette Bennette in Docket No. 11-10-INV-096-00055.

A Malacanang appointee, Corona occupies her positions as JHMC president, OIC-Chair, CEO and COO all at the same time. She is the wife of Supreme Court Associate Justice Renato Corona.

Assistant provincial prosecutor Jeff J. Dugayon received the affidavit – complaint of Bennett that cited the 10 May 2009 half-page paid advertisement of JHMC in the Baguio Midland Courier as the source of the criminal case.

Hector Ngales, also a former employee of JHMC earlier filed a libel case on
May 25, 2009 before the MTC of La Trinidad against the same advertisement. He named
Corona and four other JHMC officials in the charges.

Bennett said she filed a case of illegal dismissal on May 5, 2009 with the National Labor and Reconciliation Commission – Regional Arbitration Branch Cordillera Administrative Region and not a case of Unfair Labor Practice as falsely claimed in the JHMC advertisement.

She alleged in her affidavit that the “false and malicious statements were made in utter bad faith and published” to malign her person.

Bennett added regardless of the results of the examinations, these were confidential information meant for the 201 files of employees. “They should ask me first if they can publish that,” she was quoted.

She also alleged that monthly contracts of employment were not issued to them upon employment, but instead these were given a month or more later. Her affidavit said that her contracts were not given prior to the month of service but often after the month served. This was contrary to the statements published that said, the complainants had signed their contracts “with full understanding of the contents”.

To refute the claim in the advertisement that she was caught by executive vice president Asuncion Balingit Santos and operations manager “in activities inimical to the interest of the corporation” and that this was false, Bennet attached on the complaint as supporting evidence her clearance from accountabilities duly signed by all the heads of the JHMC departments.