Bea Alonzo faces legal battle over alleged labor violations filed by former driver

Actress Bea Alonzo is set to appear in a hearing regarding a lawsuit filed against her by her former driver, Efren Torres de los Reyes, at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

This was reported by veteran showbiz reporter Cristy Fermin on her radio program ‘Cristy Ferminute’ on Radyo 5 92.3 TRUE FM, where she detailed the grievances outlined in Torres de los Reyes’ complaint.

According to Fermin, “Nagkaso po si Efren Torres delos Reyes, Jr sa NLRC Department of Labor and Employment. Bibigyan po sila ng pagkakataong magkausap at magkita sa gitna dahil napakarami po ng reklamong isinumite nitong si Efren Torres.”

The list of complaints cited by Torres de los Reyes against Bea Alonzo includes claims for night shift differential pay, overtime pay, holiday pay, 13th-month pay, illegal dismissal, maltreatment, harassment, and payment of separation pay.

“Ang dami nilang pag-uusapan, ang dami nilang dapat ayusin dito. Isa po ito sa dahilan kung bakit tayo (Romel Chika) kinasuhan ni Bea,” Fermin added.

The detailed enumeration of Torres de los Reyes’ complaints revealed to the public that Bea Alonzo allegedly did not provide 13th-month pay to her employees, raising questions about her compliance with labor laws.

Nanay Cristy also highlighted that the DOLE is the avenue sought by Filipino workers for help when they feel they are not being treated fairly by their employers.

Meanwhile, Bea Alonzo’s legal counsel, Atty. Joey Garcia, issued a statement today through various media publications regarding the matter.

“The timing of Mr. Delos Reyes’ filing of the labor case is highly suspect,” Garcia stated. “Since he was made a witness to one of the respondents among the criminal cases we filed not to mention him being a lover as admitted, then the intent behind said filing & the timeliness of such filing are too obvious not to be noticed.”

Garcia continued, “His acknowledgment of being involved as a lover clearly magnifies his bias and undermines his credibility which yet again puts into question or doubt the true intent behind his & her lover-respondent’s legal maneuvers.”

“For the record, Mr. Delos Reyes only served as a service driver for the family and only for a short period of 3 months. He was not even assigned as Bea’s personal driver for her professional engagements. Thus, his claims seem farfetched, unreasonable, if not unrealistic.”

Garcia concluded, “It’s nothing but a pure harassment case, a desperate attempt to sponge off, an obvious act capitalizing on the criminal case.”