THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday said it is now probing the death of a Chinese national, who died last week after falling from a building in Las Piñas.
“There is already an investigation. I may get the report by tomorrow [Aug. 13] or the following day,” Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III told the BusinessMirror in a phone interview.
The labor chief said they are still determining if the incident is even labor-related.
“I don’t want to make a premature disclosure. We must first get the cause [of the incident],” Bello said.
For his part, Labor Undersecretary Benjo M. Benavidez said they will also wait for the outcome of the police investigation on the matter.
“The death of the Chinese national is more of a police matter. The victim is allegedly detained,” Benavidez told the BusinessMirror in a SMS.
DOLE earlier assured all workers, both local and foreign, are covered by the Labor Code.
Last Friday, a 27-year-old handcuffed Chinese national was reported to have died when he fell from a sixth floor of an office building in Las Piñas.
Federation of Free Workers (FFW) President Sonny Matula condemned the tragic death of the Chinese national, which they said may be work-related.
“We are alarmed by the influx of Chinese workers in the country, but, clear in our mind, like any Filipino worker, Chinese workers also have rights that need to be protected,” Matula said in a statement.
“FFW joins Malacañang’s call for the PNP [Philippine National Police] to investigate this criminal act with dispatch,” he added.