Migration Jurisprudence from the South › Philippines
Serrano v. Gallant Maritime Services
Supreme Court of the Philippines · Philippines · 2009-03-24 · National court
Citation: G.R. No. 167614
Type of case: Private
Outcome: Decided for the migrant side
Question
May the law cap the money owed to an illegally dismissed overseas worker at three months’ pay for each year of the unexpired contract?
What the court decided
The cap in Section 10 of Republic Act 8042 was struck down as a breach of equal protection; the worker was owed his salary for the whole unexpired term.
In plain language
A Filipino seafarer was sent home before his contract ended. The law limited what he could claim to three months’ pay. The Supreme Court said this limit treated overseas workers unfairly and struck it down, so he could claim pay for the rest of his contract.
Dalam bahasa sederhana
Seorang pelaut Filipina dipulangkan sebelum kontraknya berakhir. Undang-undang membatasi tuntutannya hanya tiga bulan gaji. Mahkamah Agung menyatakan batas itu tidak adil bagi pekerja luar negeri dan membatalkannya, sehingga ia bisa menuntut gaji sampai akhir kontrak.
Pertanyaan: Bolehkah undang-undang membatasi ganti rugi bagi pekerja luar negeri yang dipecat secara tidak sah menjadi tiga bulan gaji untuk tiap tahun sisa kontrak?
What happened afterwards
- 2009-03-24: Cap struck down.
- 2010-03: Congress re-enacted the same cap in Republic Act 10022.
- 2014-08-05: Supreme Court struck the re-enacted cap down again (Sameer v. Cabiles).
Sources
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Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/serrano-2009/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.