PEDRO TY BELIZAR, PLAINTIFF AND APPELLANT, VS. FLORENCIO BRAZAS, ET AL., DEFENDANTS AND APPELLEES.

This is an appeal from an order of the Court of First Instance of Samar dated
June 6, 1959, dismissing the complaint filed before it.

On April 21, 1959, Pedro Ty Belizar filed a complaint against Florencio
Brazas, Felix Hilario, Lucio Baldonido, alleging that he is operating the Samar
Express Transit; that defendants are being sued in their capacity as employees
(of the Bureau of Public Highways); that due to their gross negligence in not
providing the ferry boat with safety devices, one of his auto-trucks, while
being transported from one bank of the Taft River, Taft, Samar, to the other,
fell into the river and was submerged in water for over 30 hours; that as a
consequence thereof, he suffered actual and moral damages and had to hire
counsel to prosecute this action. He therefore prays for payment to him by the
defendants of said damages and attorney’s fees.

On May 14, 1959, defendant Felix Hilario, on his own behalf, filed his
answer, denying the material allegations of the complaint and alleging as
special defense that he is working only under the instructions of his superiors.
On May 19, 1959, defendants Lucio Baldonido, Felix Balato, Teodoro Balato and
Todesco Cebuano filed a motion to dismiss on the grounds that the complaint
states no cause of action and that they are not the real parties in interest.
After an opposition thereto was filed by the plaintiff, the remaining defendant
Florencio Brazas filed another motion to dismiss on May 20, 1959, claiming that
the plaintiff has no cause of action against the defendants because they are
being sued in their official capacities and therefore the claim for damages
should be directed against the State.

Acting upon the motions to dismiss, the lower court on June 6, 1959,
dismissed the complaint, and against this order, the plaintiff has prosecuted
this appeal directly to this Court.

The only issue before this Court is the correctness of the order appealed
from.

It is apparent from the records that although the Government is the one
operating the ferry boat, from which plaintiff’s truck fell, because of the
absence of safety devices, the plaintiff has elected to sue the defendant
employees personally for their negligent acts under the doctrine of
quasi-delict. Article 2180 of the Civil Code provides for the liability of an
employer for the tortious acts of his employees. This, however, does not exempt
the employees from personal liability, especially if there are no persons having
direct supervision over them, or if there is proof of the existence of
negligence on their part. So the injured party can bring an action directly
against the author of the negligent act or omission, although he may sue as
joint defendants such author and the person responsible for him (7 Salvat 80,
quoted in V Tolentino, Commentaries and Jurisprudence on the Civil Code of the
Philippines, 1959 edition, p. 520). The provisions of Article 1733 of the Civil
Code and the decision in the case of the Manila Railroad Co. vs. La
Compaña Trasatlantica and Atlantic Gulf & Pacific Co., 38 Phil., 875, cited
in the order appealed from refer to an action based upon a contract of
transportation. The present action being based on torts, said authorities are
not applicable thereto.

The fact that the duties and positions of the defendants are indicated does
not mean that they are being sued in their official capacities, especially as
the present action is not one against the Government.

In view of the foregoing we find that the dismissal of the complaint is not
justified, and for his reason, we hereby set aside the order of dismissal
appealed from and remand the case to the court of origin for further
proceedings. With costs against the defendants-appellees.

Bengzon, C.J.,
Padilla, Bautista Angelo, Concepcion, Reyes, J.B.L., Barrera, Paredes, Dizon, De
Leon, and Natividad, JJ., concur.