THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has upheld the P11.49 million liability of the owner and contractor of a building project in Angeles City, Pampanga, that collapsed last May.
Also read: 4 dead in Pampanga building collapse
In a statement, DOLE said it affirmed the liability of Golden Years Construction and Steelworks Corporation and Ernest Jackson Lim over unpaid workers’ benefits and serious occupational safety and health (OSH) violations committed before the collapse.
“The amount includes P1.17 million in unpaid wages during the Work Stoppage Order (WSO), underpaid wages, unpaid rest day premiums, and holiday pay, as well as P10.32 million in administrative fines for OSH violations,” said DOLE.
In its August 17 decision, the DOLE affirmed the P10.32 million in administrative fines imposed on the respondents for continuing OSH violations prior to the building collapse.
Meanwhile, the DOLE increased the monetary award for the affected workers by including their entitlement to rest day premiums and unpaid wages during the implementation of the WSO, bringing the total to P1.17 million from the original P1.10 million.
The department also dismissed the respondents’ claims that they had been denied due process.
The DOLE said records showed that the respondents had been duly notified and given reasonable opportunities to explain their side and present supporting evidence.
“The respondents were ordered to pay the monetary award and administrative fines within 10 days from receipt of the Resolution,” said the DOLE.
On May 24, the proposed nine-story commercial building with a roof deck and pool in Angeles City collapsed.
The incident resulted in the deaths of at least 30 people and injured several others.
