By Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com) | Updated July 18, 2015 - 1:18pm
MANILA, Philippines - A labor group scored the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Consunji-owned Semirara Mining Corporation (SMC) for the deaths of nine miners after an open pite coal mine in Caluya, Antique collapsed on Friday.
The Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) said there is a "conscious criminal neglect" in the part of the labor department and SMC in connection with the incident.
BMP cited that in February 2013, 10 SMC employees were killed when non-stop rains caused a wall in the coal mine to collapse.
The coal mining giant and its subcontractors were also found to have violated labor and safety standards then, BMP added.
"Nineteen lives lost in a span of two years and the undeniable resemblance of the consequences behind these mining disasters is conclusive that both the SMC and the DOLE are unrepentant labor safety violators, treating workers as expendable variables to feed their interests," Leody De Guzman of BMP said.
"Their repeated and wanton disregard of the threat on limbs, lives and impact on the livelihood of the workers due to the expected cessation of its operations despite their earlier infringements demands nothing less but the severest of punishments," he added.
He also called for an independent investigation to avoid probable collusion between the labor department and the DMCI.
"Despite these work-related fatalities incurred in 2013, the DOLE allowed SMC to resume operations after the 'danger has been removed or corrected' and no one was made liable,” De Guzman said.
Two weeks ago, another DMCI subsidiary the DMCI Homes and their subcontractors were found violating substantial labor and safety standard infringements at the construction site of the controversial Torre de Manila.
"Massive reforms and punitive measures against a repeat offender such as DMCI and the negligent regional labor officials must be the order of the day," De Guzman said.source
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