Opinion ID: 3065161
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The CBA is valid.

Text: Balen contends that, even if HAL were a party to the CBA, the CBA is invalid, because the POEA did not approve the agreement. We disagree. [11] Section 29 of the Standard Terms provides that, for any “claims and disputes arising from this employment, the parties covered by a collective bargaining agreement shall submit the claim or dispute to the original and exclusive jurisdiction of the voluntary arbitrator or panel of arbitrators.” Nothing in the Standard Terms or the record limits the application of this provision to only those agreements approved by the POEA. Furthermore, Balen concedes that the POEA does not, as a matter of practice, approve CBAs. Certainly, it would seem odd for the POEA to (1) provide a Standard Term that envisioned CBAs, (2) require their approval, and yet (3) never approve them. There is no contention that the POEA rejected the CBA, and the POEA’s lack of approval cannot invalidate the CBA. Because (1) the HAL is a party to the CBA and (2) the CBA contains an provision for arbitration, the CBA is enforceable against Balen under the Convention.