The National Labor Relations Commission has issued a Temporary Restraining Order Monday in favor of the Bank of the Philippine Islands, stopping the writ of execution issued by a labor arbiter directing the bank to pay two dismissed employees in Bacolod City their unpaid wages and benefits of more than P13 million.

The writ was issued by Roderick Joseph Calanza on Nov. 23

In a statement, yesterday BPI management said the case is still pending in the Supreme Court and it stands by its decision to dismiss former bank officers Amelia Enriquez and Remo Sia.

Enriquez and Sia have filed a complaint of illegal termination before the NLRC after they were dismissed by BPI on September 3, 2003 .

With the TRO, the lawyer of Enriquez and Sia, Roland Ravina, claimed that BPI is just prolonging the inevitable and the liability of the bank will just grow for every month the case is delayed.

The two former BPI employees questioned the legality of their dismissal, initially obtaining a ruling in their favor from the labor arbiter, but lost their cases at the NLRC and the Court of Appeals.

Their lawyer said BPI should reinstate his clients and pay their unpaid wages and benefits amounting to P13,537,122.25 based on the decision of the labor arbiter, despite the reversal of the order from NLRC and CA.

The decision of labor arbiter Calanza, Ravina said, is a small victory for Sia whose 29 years of service were forfeited after he was dismissed on his last working day.

Meanwhile, the BPI management said it was regrettable that the labor arbiter to issue a Writ of Execution despite the reversal of his decision by the NLRC and the CA.

In the statement, BPI said the two bank officers were dismissed for cause.*NAB

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