The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday said it is now looking into possible occupational safety and health standards (OSHS) violations of the Manila Pavilion Hotel, following a Sunday noon fire within its premises that killed five workers.
DOLE Undersecretary Joel B. Maglunsod said the department will immediately deploy a quick-response team to probe the incident.
“They will check the report that the [fire] sprinklers [of the hotel] did not work during the fire,” Maglunsod said in media forum on Monday.
The Manila Pavilion management could face charges from the DOLE if it will proven it violated OSHS.
“If the fire was due to unsafe and unhealthy workplace, the DOLE is supposed to file proper charges if warranted,” DOLE Undersecretary Jacinto V. Paras, for his part, said in a news statement.
Aside from investigating OSHS compliance of the Manila Pavilion, Maglunsod said, the DOLE will also assess the needs of the workers, who were affected by the fire.
He added they are ready to extend emergency employment aid and other assistance to the affected employees. The Manila Pavilion, in a news statement, categorically denied news reports, saying the hotel’s sprinkler system malfunctioned during the fire, and that it was caused by welding works on its second floor.
“The hotel management is urging the public and media to await the final and official report from the Bureau of Fire Protection (bfp) investigation before assumptions should be made,” the statement read.
“The Manila Pavilion Hotel Management is cooperating with the fire investigators and the management will see to it that the families of those affected are assisted and taken care of,” it added.
A fire broke out at the property along UN Avenue in Ermita, Manila, last Sunday. THE BFP was able to put out the fire on Monday morning.
The remains of five people were recovered in the hotel after the incident. Manila Pavilion is owned and operated by the Acesite Hotel Corp., which is a subsidiary of Waterfront Philippines Inc.
The latest workplace fire prompted the Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) to reiterate its call on the DOLE to intensify its labor inspections.
“To protect workers and mall-goers from such incidents, we are urging the government to create a joint safety audit of all high-rise buildings, malls and hotels nationwide,” ALU-TUCP President Michael Mendoza said.
“If we do not require business owners to comply with workplace and building safety regulations, the more we expose employees and ordinary civilians to death-causing firetraps,” he added.