WORK has been suspended at a construction site within Cebu Light Industrial Park (Clip) in Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City, following a building collapse that resulted in the death of one worker and injuries to five others.
Authorities have started the investigation into the structural integrity of the building.
Mactan Economic Zone Administrator Emmanuel Cortero, in an interview with SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, said the construction site will remain closed until further notice from the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) 7 and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza).
Cortero said the vertical construction activities at the site have also been halted.
On April 26, the second level of a building inside the Clip, , which is still under construction, collapsed due to unset cement.
The incident led to the death of a 50-year-old worker and left five others injured.
The construction worker was rushed to a private hospital in Mandaue City, where he was declared dead on arrival.
Cortero said he learned about the incident on Monday, April 28, and immediately directed the engineering department to launch an investigation.
Initial investigations revealed that the worker died on impact after falling from a three-meter-high canopy above the first level.
Cortero said officials are in close coordination with the building owner, the contractor, and the Dole 7 regarding the incident.
“They will not be left behind…The mandate of Dole to oversee and then the welfare of all locator companies and workers is the same with us. That’s why we have this partnership with the Dole when it comes to occupational safety. Our interest is not only for the locators this is more on the workers,” said Cortero.
Dole 7 confirmed to SunStar Cebu on Tuesday, April 29, that the agency conducted a separate investigation.
Its incident investigators have submitted their findings for further review by their superiors.
Following the internal review, the report will be forwarded to Dole 7 Director Roy Buenafe for appropriate action.
While Peza officials issue permits for structures in the economic zone, Cortero said the engineering department has yet to release detailed findings on the building’s structural integrity and related incident factors.
He described the incident as an isolated case, stating that it was the first of its kind within the private eco-zones.
“We do inspections of all our facilities and this is the first time it happened. We are really doing our due diligence into the detailed investigation,” said Cortero in a mix of Tagalog and English.
The building owner vowed to Dole 7 and Peza to cover the necessary expenses for the affected families. / DPC