Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 7700)
The primary purpose of Republic Act No. 7700 is to provide for concurrent jurisdiction between and among the first, second, and third divisions of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) to ensure the speedy disposition of cases.
RA 7700 amends Article 213 of Presidential Decree No. 442, as amended (the Labor Code of the Philippines), specifically its fourth paragraph.
The National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) sits in five (5) divisions, each composed of three (3) members.
The NLRC shall sit en banc only for promulgating rules and regulations governing the hearing and disposition of cases before any of its divisions and regional branches, and for formulating policies affecting its administration and operations.
The NLRC exercises its adjudicatory and all other powers, functions, and duties through its divisions.
The first, second, and third divisions handle cases coming from the National Capital Region and other parts of Luzon.
The fourth division handles cases from the Visayas, and the fifth division handles cases from Mindanao.
The NLRC sitting en banc may on a temporary or emergency basis allow cases within the jurisdiction of any division to be heard and decided by any other division whose docket allows the additional workload, provided it does not expose litigants to unnecessary additional expense.
Each division of the NLRC has exclusive appellate jurisdiction over cases within their respective territorial jurisdiction.
Republic Act No. 7700 took effect fifteen (15) days after its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two national newspapers of general circulation, whichever came first.