Rural Bank of Coron versus Annalisa Cortes

Facts:
1. Respondent Annalisa Cortes was hired as clerk of the Rural Bank of Coron.
She was still single then.
2. Later, she married one of the family which ran the corporation.
3. Respondent later on became the Financial Assistant, Personnel Officer and
Corporate Secretary of The Rural Bank of Coron, and some other sensitive
positions in the sister companies of the Bank.
4. On examination of the financial books of the corporations by petitioner
Sandra Garcia Escat, she found out that respondent was involved in several
anomalies, which prompted petitioners to terminate respondents services on
November 23, 1998 in petitioner corporations.
5. Respondent filed a complaint for illegal dismissal and non-payment of salaries
and other benefits with the NLRC.
6. Petitioners moved for the dismissal of the complaint on the ground of lack of
jurisdiction, contending that the case was an intra-corporate controversy
involving the removal of a corporate officer, respondent being the Corporate
Secretary of the Rural Bank of Coron, Inc., hence, cognizable by the SEC
pursuant to PD 9 0 2-A.
Issue:
Whether or not the NLRC had jurisdiction over the case.

Held:
1. The Supreme Court held that the Labor Arbiter has jurisdiction over
respondents complaint.
2. While indeed, respondent was the Corporate Secretary of the Rural Bank of
Coron, she was also its Financial Assistant and the Personnel Officer of the
two other petitioner corporations.
3. The case of Mainland Construction vs. Movilla, instructs that a corporation
can engage its corporate officers to perform services under a circumstance
which would make them employees.
4. Thus, the Labor Arbiter has jurisdiction over respondents complaint.
5. Petition is denied.