SUBIC BAY FREEPORT -- Workers of the Korean firm Hanjin Shipyard are reportedly using illegal drugs and “is quite alarming,” said an official here.
“The reports of illegal drugs use in the shipyard have prompted the management of Korean shipbuilder Hanjin to tighten their security,” Illuminado Comandao, an official of Sushicor, a Hanjin subcontractor said.
The official said workers tried to “hide it any way they can so they can bring the illegal substances to the shipyard.”
He said that the workers would even hide it in their food because the security guards usually do not inspect it.
Comandao said they are in the process of investigating and implementing measures to prevent illegal drugs use inside the shipyard.
He assured that those who had been caught were brought to the office for investigation and appropriate filing of cases against them.
But sources and the local police said that the illegal drugs problem inside the shipyard is beyond control. One factor that seems to make the problem worse, or even cause it, said Comandao, is the policy of Hanjin to keep their workers on the job for 24-hour stretches at a time.
Comandao said some workers disclosed that "this forced them to use illegal drugs just to stay awake as the consequences of not being alert could be death."
He said the workers added they would be putting their lives at risk if they could not stay awake for 24 hours a day and have to remain alert at all times.
It was learned that workers like Jerwein Lopera Labajan, 23, died inside the Hanjin shipyard on September 1 after the machine he was operating pinned him down.
The victim was single, a family breadwinner and eldest of seven siblings and is said to be the 38th Hanjin worker who died since the shipyard began construction in 2006.
Pete Pinlac, chair of Manggagawa para sa Kalayaan ng Bayan, said that the victim was “overworked” when the accident occurred inside the shipyard.
“How many workers must die for the government to realize that the safety of our workers is being compromised because of the cheap labor policy?” asked Pinlac, whose group helped organize workers in Hanjin.