SBMA exec defends Hanjin over spate of shipyard accidents

MANILA, Philippines – A ranking official from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on Wednesday said it will be unfair to pin all the blame on Hanjin Heavy Industries, Inc. for the spate of accidents inside the firm’s shipbuilding facility in Zambales. In an interview on dzBB radio, SBMA administrator Armand Arreza said provisions of the country’s Labor Code do not cover the "unique and hazardous" working environment of the Korean firm's shipyard. "Ang opinion ko diyan, may kakulangan din yung ating Labor Code dahil very unique and very hazardous (ang working environment)," Arreza said. [The country's Labor Code is wanting of specific provisions that address Hanjin's very unique and very hazardous working environment.] Arrreza also said that when the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the SBMA conducted an inspection in April last year, Hanjin immediately addressed the specific violations in safety rules and in the labor law that the government noted. But Arreza said "despite the efforts of Hanjin," accidents still happen. A total of 19 deaths at sprawling Hanjin shipbuilding facility have been reported, the latest of which happened on January 25. But earlier, a labor-support group in Subic had placed a bigger death toll at 24, including stay-in workers who reportedly died from malaria. In the interview, Arreza said the workers’ lack of background in shipbuilding and lack of safety training may have contributed to the series of accidents in the facility. "What we want to have is a zero-accident rate. Karamihan ng mga mangggawa wala silang background sa shipbuilding [Most of the workers do not have background in shipbuilding]," he said. For his part, Senate Pro Tempore and labor committee chair Jose “Jinggoy" Estrada said he will visit the Hanjin shipyard on Thursday after it came out during the hearing that labor officials were barred from conducting inspections at the facility. "The Korean owners and the management have barred the entry of labor officials inspecting the facility. So I will go tomorrow to conduct an investigation and an ocular inspection," Estrada said in Filipino in a separate interview on dzBB radio. Estrada also said he wanted the president of Hanjin to show up at the resumption of the hearing Wednesday next week. Only Hanjin deputy managing director Pyeong Jong Yu was present during the last hearing. On Tuesday’s hearing, Estrada said the labor committee is inclined to recommend the temporary suspension of the Korean firm's operations for failure to comply with the country's labor laws. Estrada also said it was clear that there was neglect on the part of Hanjin that resulted in the deaths of Filipino workers in the facility. Sen. Pilar Juliana Cayetano, former chairman of the Environment Committee that investigated the violations allegedly committed by Hanjin, supported Estrada's recommendation. "The committee will recommend the temporary suspension of its operation," she said. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV