JUSMAG Phi l i ppi nesv. NLRC GRNo.108813 ,15Dec emb mber1994 DOCTRI NES: •
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A sui tagai nstJUSMAG i s one agai nstt he Uni t ed St at es Gover nme ment ,and i nt he abs enc eo fan ywai v e ro rc o ns entoft hel at t ert ot hes ui t ,t hec ompl ai ntagai ns tJ USMAG c an no tp r o s pe r I mmuni t yofSt at ef r om s ui ti soneoft heuni v er s al l yr ec ogni z edpr i nc i pl esofi nt er nat i onal l awt hatt hePhi l i ppi nesr ec ogni z esandadopt saspar toft hel awoft hel and
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J oi n tUni t e dSt a t e sMi l i t a r yAs s i s t a nc eGr o up( J USMAG)a s sa i l st h eJ an ua r y29 ,1 99 3 Resol ut i onoft heNATI ONALLABORRELATI ONSCOMMI SSI ON( publ i cr espondent ) ,i n NLRC NCR CASENO.00030209292,r ever si ngt heJul y30,1991Or Or deroft heLabor Ar bi t er ,and or der i ng t he l at t ert o as s ume j ur i s di c t i on o v ert he c ompl ai ntf ori l l egal d i s mi mi s s a lfi l e db yFL ORENCI O SACRAMENT O( p r i v a t er e s po nd en t )a ga i n s tp et i t i o ne r . Pr i v a t er e s po nd en twa so ne o ft h es e v e nt y f o ur( 7 4)s e c ur i t ya s s i s t a nc es u pp or t per sonnel( SASP)wor ki ng atJUSMAGPhi l i ppi nes.Hehad beenwi t hJUSMAG f r om De ce mb mb er1 8,1 96 9,u nt i lh i sd i s mi mi s s alo nAp r i l2 7,1 99 2.Wh end i s mi mi s s ed ,h eh el dt h e p os i t i o no fI l l u s t r a t o r2an d wa st h ei n c umb en tPr e s i d en to fJ USMAG PHI L I PPI NESFI LI PI NO CI VI LI AN EMPLOYEES ASSOCI ATI ON ( JPFCEA) ,al aboror gani zat i ondul y r eg i s t e r e dwi t ht h eDe pa r t me nto fL ab ora ndEmp l o y me me nt .Hi ss er v i c e swe r et e r mi n at e d al l egedl yduet ot heabol i t i onofhi spos i t i on.Hewasal s oadv i s edt hathewasunder admi ni s t r at i v el eav eunt i lApr i l27,1992,al t hought hes amewasno tc har gedagai ns thi s l eav e. OnMa r c h3 1,1 99 2,p r i v a t er e s po nd en tfi l e dac o mp mp l a i n twi t ht h eDe pa r t me nto fL ab or a ndEmp l o y me me nto nt h eg r o un dt h ath e wa si l l e g al l ys u s p en de da ndd i s mi s s e df r o m s e r v i c eb yJ USMAG.Hea s k e df o rh i sr e i n s t a t e me me nt .J USMAG t h enfi l e daMo t i o nt o Di s mi mi s si n v ok i ngi t si mmuni t yf r om s ui tasanagenc yoft heUni t edSt at es .I tf ur t her al l egedl ac kofempl oy er empl o yeer el at i ons hi pandt hati thasnoj ur i di c alper s onal i t yt o sueandbesued.
I SSUE: Whet herJUSMAG wasi mmunef r om sui tasanagencyoft heUni t edSt at es. RATI O:
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YES, f r om t hef or egoi ng,i ti sappar entt hatwhenJ USMAG t ookt hes er v i c esofpr i v at e r es pondent ,i twasper f or mi ngago v er nment alf unc t i ononbehal foft heUni t edSt at es p ur s ua ntt ot h eMi l i t a r yAs s i s t a nc eAgr ee me ntd at e dMa r c h2 1,1 94 7.He nc e ,wea gr e e wi t hpet i t i onert hatt hes ui ti s ,i neffec t ,oneagai ns tt heUni t edSt at esGo ver nment ,al bei t i twasno ti mpl eadedi nt hec ompl ai nt .Cons i der i ngt hatt heUni t edSt at eshasno twai v e d orc ons ent edt ot hesui t ,t hecompl ai ntagai ns tJ USMAG c anno tpr os per . I nt h i sj u r i s di c t i o n,we r e co gn i z ea nd a do ptt h eg en er a l l ya c ce pt ed p r i n ci p l e so f i nt er nat i onal l awaspar toft hel awoft hel and.I mmuni t yofSt at ef r om s ui ti soneoft hes e uni v er s al l y r ec ogni z ed p r i nc i pl es .I n i nt er nat i onal l aw, “ i mmuni t y ”i s c ommonl y under s t oodast hee x empt i onoft hes t at eandi t sor gansf r om t hej udi c i alj ur i s di c t i onof anot hers t at e.Thi si sanc hor edont hepr i nc i pl eoft hes ov er ei gnequal i t yofs t at esunder whi c hones t at ec annotas ser tj ur i s di c t i ono veranot heri nv i ol at i onoft hemax i m pari n p ar e mn onha be ti mp er i u m( a ne qu al h a snopo we ro v e ra ne qu al ) Th ed oc t r i n eo fs t a t ei mmu ni t yf r o ms u i th asu nd er g on ef u r t h erme t a mo r p ho s i s .Th e v i e we v ol v e dt h att h ee x i s t e nc eo fac on t r a c td oe sno t ,p ers e ,me ant h ats o v er e i g n s t at esmay ,atal lt i mes ,bes uedi nl oc al c our t s .Thec ompl ex i t yofr el at i ons hi psbet ween s ov er ei gns t at es ,br oughtaboutbyt hei ri nc r eas i ngc ommer c i alac t i v i t i es ,mo t her eda mor er es t r i c t i v eappl i c at i onoft hedoc t r i ne.Thus ,i nUni t edSt at esofAmer i c av s .Rui z , wec l ar i fi edt hatourpr onounc ementi nHar r yL y ons ,s upr a,wi t hr es pec tt ot hewai v e ro f St at ei mmuni t y ,wasobi t era nd“ hasnov al ueasani mper a t i v eaut hor i t y . ”Asi ts t ands no w,t h ea ppl i c at i o no ft h ed oc t r i n eo fi mmu ni t yf r o m s ui th as b ee nr es t r i c t e dt o s ov er ei gnorgov er nment alac t i v i t i es( j ur ei mper i i ) .Themant l eofs t at ei mmuni t yc anno t beex t endedt oc ommer c i al ,pr i v at eandpr opr i et ar yac t s( j ur eges t i oni s ) .
