G.R. No. 191008 April 11, 2011
FACTS:
Quirico Lopez (petitioner) is a truck driver of Alturas. 10 years of employment he was dismissed allegedly for attempting to smuggle out of the company premises 60 kilos of scrap iron worth ₱840. Petitioner, denied the allegations by a handwritten explanation written in the Visayan dialect.
Respondent on the grounds of loss of trust and confidence, and of violation of company rules and regulations terminated his employment. The result of an investigation also showed that petitioner had been smuggling out its cartons, thus prompted the respondent to file a criminal case for Qualified Theft against him before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Bohol.
Petitioner thereupon filed a complaint against respondent company for illegal dismissal and underpayment of wages. He claimed that the smuggling charge against him was fabricated to justify his illegal dismissal