MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is urging Congress to hasten the passage of bills criminalizing non-compliance of safety standards in the workplace amid the tragedy that has befallen 72 workers in a Valenzuela footwear factory last week.
In a statement, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said: “We urge our lawmakers to seriously see our plea for the enactment of these measures in a positive light, and that is, for the ultimate welfare and protection of our workers and the delivery of labor justice by punishing heartless employers.”
She cited three pending bills on occupational safety and health standards: H.B. No. 2226, or An Act Criminalizing Non-Compliance with Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Standards; S.B. No. 1368, or An Act to Govern Occupational Safety and Health in the Construction Industry, which establishes OSH standards in the construction industry; and H.B. No. 2471, or An Act to Provide for Uniform Warnings on Personal Protective Equipment for Occupational Use.
“Our approach to modernize the Labor Code is to advocate for priority legislation. OSH is one of the priorities. I could not overemphasize its importance — and the timeliness of our plea to our lawmakers — in the light of accidents in our workplaces, some of which have injured and claimed the lives of our workers,” Baldoz said.
She is referring to the fire that gutted Kentex Manufacturing Inc.’s two-story building in Valenzuela last week, leaving at least 72 dead.
Baldoz said the body of standards, rules, and regulations, known as the Occupational Safety and Health Standards, does not yet contain criminal penalties. It was promulgated in 1978 and amended in 1989.
She said many provisions already need to be amended and updated due to changes in the working environment throughout the years, adding that these bills reflect the proposal by the Tripartite Labor Code Reform Committee to amend or revise the archaic Labor Code.
Baldoz set up the committee in 2011 through A.O. 375 to review documents from earlier initiatives, along with development plans, including the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan, 2011-2016. –ABS-CBNnews.com
July 2025
Nutrition Month
“Give us much more than P50 increase
for proper nutrition!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations
against serious violations of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
Accept National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideosturesVideos
July
3 July – International Day of Cooperatives
3 July – International Plastic Bag Free Day
5 July – World Youth Skills Day
7 July – Global Forgiveness Day
11 July – World Population Day
17 July – World Day for International Justice
28 July – World Nature Conservation Day
30 July – World Day against Trafficking in Persons
Monthly Observances:
Schools Safety Month
Nutrition Month
National Disaster Consciousness Month
Weekly Observances:
Week 2: Cultural Communities Week
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise
Development Week
Week 3: National Science and
Technology Week
National Disability Prevention and
Rehabilitation Week
July 1-7:
National Culture Consciousness Week
July 13-19:
Philippines Business Week
Week ending last Saturday of July:
Arbor Week
Daily Observances:
First Saturday of July:
International Cooperative Day
in the Philippines
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