I guess this another blackeye to the sympathizers of Hanjin Heavy Industries. To our officials in Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro and neighboring provinces, is this the kind of investor you want to have business with in the area? With its alarming safety record, we might be sending our workers to their deaths.
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT–(UPDATE) The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) ordered a stop to the operations of the construction arm of Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Philippines Inc. (HHIC-Phil) on Friday after another worker had died.
The death of Mario Atrero, 52, an employee of Hanjin Construction Corp. Ltd. (HCCL), was the third at the Korean shipbuilding site in nine days.
It brought to 12 the number of work-related deaths at the facility since it began operations in 2006.
Hanjin officials said most of the casualties in the earlier accidents had been hired by subcontractors. But Atrero was said to be in the direct employ of HCCL.
“The [safety] situation at the shipyard has become alarming,” SBMA administrator Armand Arreza said.
He said HCCL was served the cease-and-desist order at 6 p.m. on Friday, two hours after Atrero was hit and killed by a steel frame that collapsed due to strong winds.
Four other workers–identified by the SBMA as Joel Alido, Darvin Silva, David Alcayaga and Leody Abad, all residents of Zambales–were injured.
