G.R. No. L-9900; April 30, 1957
YUCUANSEH DRUG CO., INC., ET ALS., plaintiffs-appellants, vs. NATIONAL LABOR UNION and JUAN SORIANO, defendants-appellees.

FACTS

Plaintiffs-appellants, Yucuanseh Drug Co., Inc., filed an action in the Court of First Instance of Manila seeking to declare null and void an order issued by the Court of Industrial Relations (CIR) on June 17, 1955, in Case No. 528-ULP. They alleged the order was issued in excess of jurisdiction. The defendants-appellees moved to dismiss, arguing the Court of First Instance lacked jurisdiction to annul a CIR order, a power vested in the Supreme Court. The lower court sustained the motion and dismissed the complaint. The background reveals that prior to November 14, 1954, Juan Soriano was employed by Yucuanseh Drug Co. as a driver. The car he drove was sold, and he delivered it to the buyer. When asked to return to work, Soriano was offered another position after stating he had no car to operate. He insisted on a new car, and when not provided, he left and did not return. Two months later, the National Labor Union filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the CIR on behalf of “Jose Soriano,” seeking reinstatement with back pay. Appellants denied the charge, clarifying the employee was Juan Soriano and that they had offered him alternative work. The CIR, after hearing, issued an order on June 17, 1955, directing appellants to reinstate Juan Soriano with back pay, without requiring an amendment to correct the name error in the complaint. Appellants filed a motion for reconsideration, which was denied. They then filed a special civil action of certiorari with the Supreme Court, which was denied for lack of merit and because the appeal period had expired. Subsequently, they filed the present action in the Court of First Instance.

ISSUE

Whether the Court of First Instance has jurisdiction to annul or set aside an order of the Court of Industrial Relations that has become final and executory.

RULING

No. The lower court correctly dismissed the complaint for lack of jurisdiction. The complaint was based on the same facts adjudicated in the unfair labor practice case before the CIR, and the order in question had become final due to appellants’ failure to appeal within the ten-day period prescribed by Section 6 of Republic Act No. 875 . Their mistaken remedy of filing a special civil action of certiorari, which the Supreme Court denied, does not justify a collateral attack in the Court of First Instance. While a judicial record may be impeached for want of jurisdiction, collusion, or fraud under the Rules of Court, none of these grounds apply here. The CIR had jurisdiction over the unfair labor practice case. Any error in its appreciation of evidence or application of law should have been corrected by a timely appeal, not by a separate action in the Court of First Instance. The order of dismissal is affirmed.