REPUBLICOFTHEPHILIPPINES

NATIONALCAPITALJUDICIALREGION
REGIONALTRIALCOURT
Branch100MakatiCity
THEAVEGA,GABRIELLEMUNSAYAC,
REXCIABALDEO,MARISSALVADOR,
andotherfemaleflightattendantsof
DELAREYNAAIRLINES,
Plaintiff,
CIVILCASENo._______
FOR:DECLARATORY
RELIEF

versus

DELAREYNAAIRLINES,
Defendant.
xx
PETITIONFORDECLARATORYRELIEF

Plaintiffs,bycounsel,tothisHonorableCourtmostrespectfullystate:

NATUREOFACTION
ThisisaspecialcivilactionforDeclaratoryReliefunderRule63of
theRulesofCourt.
THEPARTIES
IndividualPlaintiffs

1.

PlaintiffTHEAVEGAisaFilipino,oflegalage,aresidentof

No.420SanBartolomeStreet,AyalaAlabangVillage,MuntinlupaCity.

2.

Plaintiff GABRIELLE MUNSAYAC is a Filipino, of legal

age,aresidentofNo.3St.JamesAvenue,LopezVillage,ParanaqueCity.
3.

Plaintiff REXCIA BALDEO is a Filipino, of legal age, a

residentofNo.65GenevaStreet,BFHomes,ParanaqueCity.
4.

Plaintiff MARIS SALVADOR is aFilipino,of legal age, a

resident of No.43Jasmin Street,Phase3,TownandCountryExecutive

Village,AntipoloCity.
5.

Plaintiffsmaybeservedorders,noticesandprocessesthrough

undersignedcounsels.
PlaintiffsasClass
6.

Plaintiffssueintheirindividualcapacitiesandasaclass.The

class consistsofallcurrentlyemployedfemaleflightattendantshiredby
defendant PHILIPPINE AIRLINES (hereafter, Philippine Airlines)
before22November2000.Aswillbeshown,thedate22November2000is
materialbecausePhilippineAirlinesdiscriminatorypolicyonretirementas
providedforintheassailedCollectiveBargainingAgreement,appliestoall
femaleflightattendantshiredbefore22November2000.
13.

Thesubjectmatterofthiscomplaintisofcommonandgeneral

interesttothemembersoftheclass.Thepersonsaffected,belongingtothe
sameclass,aresonumerous,numberingaroundsixhundred(600)inall,that
itisimpracticabletojoinallasparties.
14.

Theindividualplaintiffs,allwomen,aresufficientlynumerous

andrepresentativeoftheclasstheyrepresent.

Defendant

15.

Dela Reyna Airlines is a corporation organized and existing

underPhilippinelawwithprincipalofficeatPDRCenterBuilding,Salcedo
Street,SalcedoVillageMakatiCitywhereitmaybeservedsummonsand
processes.
THEFACTS
16.

Dela Reyna Airlines is in the business of air transportation.

DelaReynaisoneofAsiasfirstairline,havingtakentotheskiesasearlyas
1930.Withahugeaircraftfleetandaroutenetworkthatspansthirty(30)
foreigncitiesandtwentyone(21)domesticpoints,DelaReynaAirlinesis
oneofthebiggestandmostprominentcorporationsinthePhilippines.
17.

Plaintiffs are employed by Dela Reyna Airlines as flight

attendants.PlaintiffsenteredPhilippineAirlinesemployondifferentdates
before22November2000.
18.

Plaintiffs are bona fide members of the MAGANDANG

FLIGHT ATTENDANTS ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES

(hereafter,MAAP),alabororganizationcertifiedasthesoleandexclusive
bargainingrepresentativeoftheflightattendants,flightstewardsandpursers
(hereafter,cabinattendants)ofDelaReynaAirlines.
19.

On11July2001,PhilippineAirlinesandMAAPenteredintoa

written Collective Bargaining Agreement for the years 2000 to 2005

(hereafter,PALFASAP20002005CBA)thatprovides,amongothers:

xxx
Section114.RetirementBenefits
A. FortheCabinAttendantshiredbefore22
November1996:
1.

EarlyRetirement

AnyCabinAttendantwhohascompletedatleasttwo(2)
yearsofcontinuousservicemayopttoretireandwhenso
retired,heshallbeentitledtooneandonehalf(1)months
salaryforeveryyearofcompletedserviceasretirementpay.
2.

OptionalRetirement

AnyCabinAttendantmayretireathisoptionupon
reachingagefifty(50)forfemalesoragefiftyfive(55)for
malesandwhensoretired,theCabinAttendantshallbe
entitledasretirementpayequivalentto:
a.
Oneandonehalf(1)monthsbasic
salaryforeveryyearofcompletedservicebasedontheir
basicmonthlysalariesuponreachingtheagefifty(50)
forfemalesorfiftyfive(55)formales;
b.
Plusonehalf(1/2)monthsbasicsalaryfor
everyyearofcompletedservicebasedontheirfinal
monthlybasicsalaryfortheyearofservicerendered
afterreachingtheageoffifty(50)forfemalesorage
fiftyfive(55)formales.
Xxx
3.

CompulsoryRetirement

Subjecttothegroomingstandardsprovisionsofthis
Agreement,compulsoryretirementshallbefiftyfive(55)for
femalesandsixty(60)formales.Retirementpayfor
compulsoryretirementshallbe:
a.
Oneandonehalf(1)monthsbasic
salaryforeveryyearofservicebasedontheirbasic
salaryuponreachingtheageoffifty(50)forfemalesor
fiftyfive(55)formales.
b.
Plusonehalf(1/2)monthsbasicsalaryfor
everyyearofservicebasedontheirfinalmonthlybasic
4

salaryfortheyearofservicesrenderedafterreaching
theageoffifty(50)forfemalesorfiftyfive(55)for
males.
Xxx(page69,PALFASAP20002005CBA)
(Emphasissupplied)
20.

Inanapparentattempttorectifyitsdiscriminatoryretirement

policy,DelaReynaAirlinesprovidedforandenforceduniformcompulsory
retirementages,regardlessofsex,forallcabinattendantshiredatdifferent
periodsafter22November2000.
21.

PlaintiffshaveanindisputablesubstantiveinterestintheDRA

MAAP20002005CBA.Thetermsoftheiremploymentaregovernedbyit,
includingthetermsandconditionsoftheircompulsoryretirementatage
fiftyfive(55).
22.

DelaReynaAirlineshasbeenenforcingand,unlessrestrained,

willcontinuetoenforceSection114,PartAofthePDRMAAP20002005
CBAtothegreatprejudiceofPlaintiffs.
23.

Plaintiffs, exhausting all available administrative remedies,

have on numerous occasions demanded from Dela Reyna Airlines the

removal,abolitionorannulmentofthediscriminatoryprovisionsofSection
114, Part A of the PDRMAAP 20002005 CBA. Philippine Airlines,
however,remainsbothunreceptiveandintransigent.
CAUSEOFACTION

24.

Plaintiffshavetheconstitutionalrighttofundamentalequality

withmenunderSection14,ArticleII,1987oftheConstitutionand,within

the specific context of this case, withthe male cabinattendants of Dela

ReynaAirlines.
26.

Plaintiffs have the statutory right to equal work and

employmentopportunitieswithmenunderArticle3,PresidentialDecreeNo.
442,TheLaborCodeand,withinthespecificcontextofthiscase,withthe
malecabinattendantsofPhilippineAirlines.
27.

Itisunlawful,evencriminal,foranemployertodiscriminate

against women employees with respect to terms and conditions of

employmentsolelyonaccountoftheirsexunderArticle135oftheLabor
Code as amended by Republic Act No. 6725 or the Act Strengthening
ProhibitiononDiscriminationAgainstWomen.
28.

This discrimination against Plaintiffs is likewise against the

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against

Women (hereafter, CEDAW), a multilateral convention that the
Philippinesratifiedin1981.TheGovernmentanditsagents,includingour
courts,notonlymustcondemnallformsofdiscriminationagainstwomen,
butmustalsoimplementmeasurestowardsitselimination.
29.

ThiscaseisamatterofpublicinterestnotonlybecauseofDela

Reyna Airlines violation of the Constitution and existing laws, but also
becauseithighlightsthefactthattwentythree(23)yearsafterthePhilippine
SenateratifedtheCEDAW,discriminationagainstwomencontinues. The
CEDAWdescribestheeffectsofdiscriminatorypractices:
discriminatorypracticesimpedetheparticipationofwomenin
allaspectsoflifeoftheircountriesonanequalbasiswithmen,
which hampers theincreased prosperity oftheir societyand
families.

30.

DelaReynaAirlinespaidmerelipservicetotheconstitutional

andstatutoryrightsofwomenworkerswhenithollowlydeclaredapolicyon
nondiscriminationagainstanyemployeebyreasonofsexunderArticleIII,
Section7,PartCofthePDRMAAP20002005CBA.
31.

Section114,PartAof thePDRMAAP20002005CBAon

compulsory retirement from service is invidiously discriminatory against

andmanifestlyprejudicialtoPlaintiffsbecause,onthesoleandexclusive
basisofsex,theyarecompelledtoretireatalowerage(fiftyfive(55))
relativetotheirmalecounterparts(sixty(60)).
32.DelaReynaAirlineseffectivelyadmittedthediscriminatorynature
ofitspolicyoncompulsoryretirement,andthusestoppeditself,whenit
providedforuniformcompulsoryretirementagesforcabinattendantshired
atdifferentperiodsafter22November2000.
33.

Thereisnoreasonable,muchlesslawful,basisforDelaReyna

Airlinestodistinguish,differentiateorclassifycabinattendantsonthebasis
of sex and thereby arbitrarily set a lower compulsory retirement age for
Plaintiffsforthesolereasonthattheyarewomen.
34.

Dela Reyna Airlines discriminatory policy on compulsory

retirement is implicitly based on the demeaning assumption that female

cabinattendantsarephysicallylessattractiveintheirlateryearsrelativeto
male cabin attendants. This betrays Dela Reyna Airlines misplaced
prioritiesandassignmentofpredominantweighttoaestheticsratherthanthe
essentialandsubstantialfunctionsofacabinattendantasinflightservice
andsafetyofficer.
35.

Section114,PartAof thePDRMAAP20002005CBAon

compulsory retirement fromservice is manifestly prejudicial toPlaintiffs

7

becausetheyaredeprivedoffive(5)moreyearsofproductiveandgainful
employment.
36.

Furthermore, the Plaintiffs are prejudiced in that the lower

retirementagedirectlyresultsinlowerretirementpaysincethebasisofthe
latters computationunder the PDRMAAP 20002005 CBA is the basic
monthlysalaryattheoptionalretirementageoffifty(50)forfemaleand
fiftyfive(55)formalecabinattendants.
37.

Forbeingpatentlyunconstitutionalandunlawful,Section114,

PartAofthePDRMAAP20002005CBAmustbedeclaredinvalidand
strickendowntotheextentthatitdiscriminatesagainstPlaintiffs.
38.

Accordingly, consistent with the constitutional and statutory

guarantee of equality between men and women, Plaintiffs should be

adjudgedanddeclaredentitled,liketheirmalecounterparts,toworkuntil
sixty(60).

PRAYER
WHEREFORE,itismostrespectfullyprayedthattheHonorable
Court:
1.

Aftertrialonthemerits:
(i)

declareSection114,PartAofthePDRMAAP

20002005CBAINVALID,NULLandVOIDtotheextent
thatitdiscriminatesagainstPlaintiffs;and,
(ii)

declarePlaintiffsentitledtoworkuntilsixty(60)

yearsofage.

Otherjustandequitablereliefsarelikewiseprayedfor.
PasigCityforMakati,3December2014.
FELICIANO&FELICIANO
CounselforthePlaintiffs
Unit1916JoyaSouthTower
JoyaDrive,MakatiCity
Tel.No.(632)8978770
Telefax.(632)8962116
Email:fandf@law.com
By:

MERCEDESC.FELICIANO
IBPNo.9139238010814/MakatiCity
PTRNo.913458/010814/MakatiCity
RollofAttorneysNo.51313
MCLECom.No.IV002248413/061714
Copyfurnished:

DUQUE&CANLAS
CounselfortheDefendant
Unit1234LaurelBuilding
Sampaloc,Manila

10

RepublicofthePhilippines)
CityofMakati)s.s.
xx
VERIFICATION/CERTIFICATION
I,THEAVEGA,oflegalage,Filipino,singleandaresidentofAyala
Alabang, Philippines,afterhavingbeendulysworntoinaccordancewith
law,herebydeposeandsay:
ThatIamthePlaintiffintheaboveentitledcase;
ThatIhavecausedthepreparationandfilingofthesame;
That all the facts alleged therein are true and correct on my own
knowledgeandbeliefandauthenticrecords;
ThatIhavenotheretoforecommencedanyotheractionorproceeding
includingthesameissuesintheSupremeCourt,theCourtofAppeals,or
anyothertribunaloragency;

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ThatnosuchactionorproceedingispendingintheSupremeCourt,
theCourtofAppeals,ordifferentDivisionthereof,oranyothertribunalor
agency;
Thatifthereissuchactionorproceedingweshallstatethestatus
thereof;
ThatshouldIthereafterlearnthatasimilaractionorproceedinghas
beenfiledorispendingbeforetheSupremeCourt,theCourtofAppeals,or
differentDivisionthereof,oranytribunaloragency,wewillundertaketo
promptlyinformtheaforesaidcourtsandsuchothertribunaloragencyof
thatfactwithinfive(5)daystherefrom.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF,I have hereunto affixedmy signature
this______________________at____________________,Philippines.
______________________
THEAVEGA
Affiant

SUBSRIBEDANDSWORNtobeforemethis_______________at
__________________________,Philippines.
Doc.No.______;
PageNo.______;
BookNo.______;
Seriesof2014.

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