TACLOBAN CITY – Newly-appointed National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) Commissioner for the Eastern Visayas Aurelio Menzon cited Eastern Visayas as the last rank in the Visayas region in terms of the number of cases filed at the NLRC.

Menzon said that the central and western Visayas top the ranking based on the initial assessment in the on-going inventory of cases filed in the said office.

“Eastern Visayas has a minimal record of disputes arising from employer-employee relationships knowing that the regional still lacks factories, industries, companies that would, trigger more number of assaults between employer and employee relationship,” Menzon said in an interview.

However, he pointed out that he probably would not be handling cases from the Region 8 since in the first place it is being raffled in the commission to avoid local biases.

Asked on the action he has taken over the labor problem pertaining to the stopped operation of the AM Radio station Bombo Radyo, Menzon admitted that he is yet aware if the case has reached NLRC already and to whom it is assigned, but he is open to the probability that he has been decided already although he has no knowledge on who was assigned to review the decision of the arbiter in Region 8.

“By now the cases turned over to me are petitions for motion for reconsideration,” he added.

The new NLRC Commissioner for the Visayas further told Leyte Samar Daily Express that upon being sworn into office within one week, he came to the city to wind up business for the case he handles in the different trial courts and see to it that his relocation to Cebu is more or less convenient to him in relation to his office.

Menzon was appointed vice Commissioner Edgar Enerlan and took oath before Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas. The Department of Labor and Employment Secretary is considered as head in the policy making although the NLRC is an independent body under the law.

“NLRC Commissioners gain salary, rank and benefits almost the same with that of the associate justices of the Court of Appeals. The 15 Commissioners according to the law gain equal rank and are entitled to the same allowances and benefits to that of the justices in the Court of Appeals. The only di0frence falls on the jurisdiction’ since the work of the Court of Appeals is not just limited to the labor law but also on the criminal, civil and corporation cases,” added Menzon.