Photo courtesy of Angeles City Information Office.
Labor officials have pointed to possible safety violations in the collapse of a nine-story building under construction in Angeles City, Pampanga, as scrutiny intensifies over compliance with workplace safety rules.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said initial findings suggested lapses in occupational safety and health standards at the construction site where the structure eventually gave way.
Acting Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said in a radio interview that the core issue involved violations of mandatory safety protocols, adding that “this is where they fell short.”
He confirmed the project had earlier been ordered shut after inspectors from DOLE Region 3 flagged serious safety deficiencies during an initial inspection.
Tolentino also revealed that a regional labor official had been suspended as part of an internal probe into possible lapses in government oversight of the project.
Although construction later resumed after reported compliance, he said monitoring should have been sustained to ensure that safety standards were continuously met.
Investigators are now also looking into reports of workers allegedly being housed inside the unfinished structure and the possible absence of required medical and emergency facilities on site.
Tolentino said he would personally visit Angeles City to inspect the area as the probe continues, following the collapse that killed at least four people, left 16 missing, and rescued 26 others.