Professional Documents
Culture Documents
We
disagree.
Section
7
of
Wage
Order
No.
NCR-04
categorically
provides
that
exemption
thereunder
is
to
be
granted
for
a
maximum
of
only
one
year.
The
said
section
which
states,
viz:
"Section
7.
The
Board
has
the
discretion
to
grant
full
or
partial
exemption
to
such
employer
with
respect
to
the
amount
or
period
of
exemption
but
in
no
case
shall
it
exceed
one
(1)
year
from
the
effectivity
of
this
Wage
Order.
is
clear
and
fixes
the
limit
within
which
such
exemption
shall
be
valid.
There
are
no
exceptions.
The
rationale
for
allowing
a
one-year
exemption
from
coverage
of
the
wage
order
is
precisely
to
afford
the
parties
affected
thereby,
more
than
sufficient
time
to
cope
with
adverse
financial
conditions
and
make
the
necessary
adjustments
in
order
to
comply
with
the
mandated
wage
increases.
To
allow
the
petitioner
to
escape
this
obligation
is
tantamount
to
a
judicial
imprimatur
of
an
attempt
to
evade
the
mandate
of
the
wage
order
in
question.
This,
we
cannot
tolerate.
WHEREFORE,
the
petition
for
certiorari
is
hereby
DISMISSED.
Petitioner
is
ordered
to
pay
the
corresponding
minimum
wage
to
all
its
covered
workers
effective
02
February
1997.
Costs
against
petitioner.