Cayetano slams deaths in Subic Hanjin shipyard

SENATOR Pia Cayetano has deplored the Department of Labor and Employment’s alleged failure to investigate and penalize those responsible for the “unusually large” number of accidents and deaths at the Hanjin shipyard in Subic freeport.

She also questioned other government agencies, particularly the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), for failing to act on other reported irregularities at the freeport.

She wants to probe the reported series of deaths of Filipino laborers due to work-related accidents at the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction (HHIC) Phils. at the Subic Bay Freeport in Zambales.

She earlier questioned the decision of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) to merely suspend the subcontractor Philnorkor while sparing Hanjin from any penalties in connection with the recent deaths of two subcontracted workers, Philip Mendoza and Jose Vener Gil, last November.

Gil is reportedly the 15th to die in work-related accidents at the shipyard, while Mendoza is the second to die in traffic-related accidents. But reports reaching Cayetano’s office indicate that many more workers have also died due to illness, particularly malaria. By: Bernadette E. Tamayo - Journal online