GR L 659; (July, 1948) (Digest)
G.R. No. L-659; July 28, 1948
MARIANO B. ARROYO, plaintiff-appellee, vs. HOSPITAL DE SAN PABLO, defendant-appellant.
FACTS
Mariano B. Arroyo filed a complaint against Hospital de San Pablo to recover unpaid salaries totaling P234,600, claiming he served as the hospital’s director from May 1911 to May 1945 at an agreed monthly salary of P600, which remained unpaid from November 1916 onward. The hospital admitted Arroyo’s service but contended that from September 1916, he served voluntarily without compensation, as evidenced by a written ratification dated March 20, 1923, wherein Arroyo stated he was rendering his professional services gratuitously. The hospital also raised defenses of laches, unreasonable compensation, and prescription. The trial court ruled in favor of Arroyo, ordering the hospital to pay the claimed amount.
ISSUE
Whether Arroyo is entitled to recover the alleged unpaid salaries from the Hospital de San Pablo.
RULING
No. The Supreme Court reversed the trial court’s decision and dismissed the complaint. The Court found that Arroyo failed to substantiate his claim of an agreed P600 monthly salary. His uncorroborated testimony was deemed unconvincing and inconsistent with ordinary human conduct, especially given his continued service for nearly thirty years without demanding payment. The written document from 1923, in which Arroyo expressly ratified that he was serving gratuitously, was considered conclusive evidence against his claim. Furthermore, his prior testimony in another case (No. 9031) where he stated he received no salary as director, corroborated the hospital’s position. Consequently, the Court held that Arroyo’s claim was groundless, making it unnecessary to address other issues such as prescription.
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