[G.R. No. 71929 : December 4, 1990.] 192 SCRA 9 ALITALIA, Petitioner, vs. INTERMEDIATE APPELLATE COURT and FELIPA E. PABLO, Respondents. : December 1990 - Philipppine Supreme Court Decisions

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• and declaring the stated limits of liability not applicable "if it is proved that the damage resulted from an act or omission of the carrier, its servants or agents, done with intent to cause damage or recklessly and with knowledge that damage would probably result.

• ALITALIA has appealed to this Court on Certiorari

• 1) that the Warsaw Convention should have been applied to limit ALITALIA'S liability; and

• By then feeling desperate, she went to Rome to try to locate her bags herself. There, she inquired about her suitcases in the domestic and international airports, and filled out the forms prescribed by ALITALIA for people in her predicament. However, her baggage could not be found. Completely distraught and discouraged, she returned to Manila without attending the meeting in Ispra, Italy. :

• She arrived in Milan on the day before the meeting in accordance with the itinerary and time table set for her by ALITALIA. She was however told by the ALITALIA personnel there at Milan that her luggage was "delayed inasmuch as the same . . . (was) in one of the succeeding flights from Rome to Milan."

• She was invited in view of her specialized knowledge in "foreign substances in food and the agriculture environment."

• Dr. Felipa Pablo — an associate professor in the University of the Philippines, 1 and a research grantee of the Philippine Atomic Energy Agency — was invited to take part at a meeting of the Department of Research and Isotopes of the Joint FAO-IAEA Division of Atomic Energy in Food and Agriculture of the United Nations in Ispra, Italy.

• She accepted the invitation, and was then scheduled by the organizers, to read a paper on "The Fate of Radioactive Fusion Products Contaminating Vegetable Crops."

• To fulfill this engagement, Dr. Pablo booked passage on petitioner airline, ALITALIA.

• Her luggage consisted of two (2) suitcases: one contained her clothing and other personal items; the other, her scientific papers, slides and other research material. But the other flights arriving from Rome did not have her baggage on board.

• Once back in Manila she demanded that ALITALIA make reparation for the damages thus suffered by her. ALITALIA offered her "free airline tickets to compensate her for any alleged damages.

• rejected

• nd forthwith commenced the action

• As it turned out, Prof. Pablo's suitcases were in fact located and forwarded to Ispra, 7 Italy, but only on the day after her scheduled appearance and participation at the U.N. meeting there.

• And for some reason or other, the suitcases were not actually restored to Prof. Pablo by ALITALIA until eleven (11) months later, and four (4) months after institution of her action.

• Court of First Instance rendered judgment in Dr. Pablo's favo

• Ordering the defendant (ALITALIA) to pay . . . (her) the sum of TWENTY THOUSAND PESOS

• by way of nominal damages;

• (2) Ordering the defendant to pay . . . (her) the sum of FIVE THOUSAND PESOS

• as and for attorney's fees