Facts:

• Juana Yap Daes and her children, the petitioners, filed a case against We Ko (alias Kua), the respondent.
• Pedro Basa, the deceased and husband of Juana Yap Daes, was hired by the respondent to transport four logs from a river to the respondent's residence in Zambales.
• Basa was to be paid P1.20 per log.
• While loading the fourth log onto a cart provided by the respondent, the log slipped and fatally struck Basa.
• The petitioners sought P2,000 in damages for Basa's death under Act No. 1874.
• The Court of First Instance of Zambales dismissed the action.
• The Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal, ruling that Basa was not an "employee" under Act No. 1874 because he was engaged for a specific task and not under the respondent's direct supervision.
• The Court of Appeals noted that Basa had previously done various odd jobs for the respondent and had borrowed carts from him, but deemed these facts immaterial.

Issue:

• (Unlock)

Ruling:

• The Supreme Court ruled that Basa was indeed an "employee" under Act No. 1874, regardless of the temporary or occasional nature of his employment.
• The case was remanded to the Court of Appeals to d...(Unlock)

Ratio:

• The Supreme Court clarified that Act No. 1874 does not distinguish between permanent and temporary employees.
• The term "employee" is used broadly in Act No. 1874, without any distinction regarding the duration or character of employment.
• This interpretation aligns with the remedial nature of Act No. 1874, which aims to protect laborers in small industries with an annual income of less than P20,000.
• Making fine distinctions would undermine the law's protective purpose.
• The Workmen's Compensation Act (No. 3428) explicitly excludes...continue reading