Eton contractor held liable for violation of safety rules

MANILA, Philippines – The general contractor in the construction of the Eton Residences condominium in Makati City will be held liable for violation of safety regulations which contributed to the deaths of the 10 workers who fell aboard an overloaded gondola.

Joey Salgado, spokesman for the Makati City Hall, said the Makati City Department for Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) said that as far as the safety aspects of the construction project is concerned, CE Construction, the project’s general contractor is being held liable as it was the one responsible for securing the permits and is the one in charge of compliance to the safety regulations.

However, the possible liabilities of the project’s sub-contractors Arlo Aluminum and EM Piñon are still being looked into by the DEPW, Salgado said.

“The permits were issued in the name of the general contractor. But the liabilities of the sub-contractors are still being investigated,” said Salgado.

Salgado said the burden of making sure that the worksite is safe for the workers falls on CE Construction as it is also the one in charge of the safety engineer and the construction manager.

Meanwhile, Salgado said construction work at the Eton Residences will remain suspended until it has sufficiently shown that the needed and expected safety measures are in place.

However, Salgado admits that the issue has now grown beyond the reach of the Makati City government with the involvement now of the Department of Labor and Employment.

“We will have to defer to the decision of the DOLE on this,” he said.

The Makati City police has already concluded its inspection of the Eton Residences worksite and is just collating the findings.

Makati City police chief Senior Superintendent Froilan Bonifacio said charges of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide await the general contractor, the sub-contractors or even Eton Properties, the owner of the project, should their culpabilities be established by the police investigation.

Eton releases initial P1.4M to families

Property developer Eton Properties Philippines, Inc. (Eton) and its major contractors have shelled out an initial P1.4-million in medical, funeral and other assistance to the families of 11 workers who figured in a tragic accident last Jan. 27.

In a meeting with Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz Tuesday, Eton president and COO Danilo Ignacio informed the labor department of the measures taken by the company along with construction manager Jose Aliling Construction Management, Inc., general contractor CE Construction and window contractor Arlo Aluminum, to mitigate the grief and suffering of the victims’ families.

“As of today, Eton and its contractor, Arlo Aluminum, have extended initial financial assistance of P1.4 million. This represents the first tranche of financial aid to cover medical and funeral expenses, including the transportation of the remains to the province as requested by their families,” Ignacio said.

During the same meeting, Ignacio submitted to Baldoz a copy of the incident report from construction management firm Jose Aliling Construction Management, Inc. It indicated that TUV, a DOLE accredited firm, has certified the safety of the gondola used in the accident up to Sept. 11, 2011. All other gondolas used in the Eton project have the same safety certification, the report added. –Mike Frialde, The Philippine Star