Practice question
A company directly recruits a courier, pays a daily amount, reserves power to dismiss, and imposes binding instructions on the courier's work procedures and methods. The agreement calls the courier an 'independent contractor.' The company relies solely on that label to deny every employment relationship. Under the fourfold test, which analysis is proper?
- The label conclusively defeats all four proved factors.
- The proved selection, payment, dismissal and method-control facts support an employment relationship; the label alone does not erase them.
- Owning any personal equipment automatically defeats the test.
- A daily payment can never be a wage.
- The company must be the courier's relative before employment can exist.
Legal references
- https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/1/68763 — Ditiangkin v. Lazada E-Services Philippines, Inc., GR 246892, September 21, 2022, main decision, fourfold-test discussion.
- https://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri2025/aug2025/gr_220087_2025.html - Hacienda San Isidro/Silos Farms v. Villaruel, GR 220087, August 11, 2025, Court resolution, control and proof.
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