Legal help is on the way for the beleaguered workers of a steel manufacturing plant in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, forcibly shut down by authorities on 15 May over the alleged handling of hazardous materials and sale of substandard steel.
Lawyer Proculo Sarmen, a consultant of the Federation of Free Workers, said their group has offered free legal assistance and support to more than 300 workers affected by the shutdown of the Philippine Sanjia Steel Corporation in Barangay Baluarte, Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
“We are extending assistance and support to the affected workers, considering that they are not yet organized,” Sarmen said.
Lawyer Beverly Musni, secretary general of the Union of People’s Lawyers in Mindanao, said at least 10 workers have already sought legal help to recover unpaid salaries and other benefits from the closed plant.
“We will file representations on behalf of the workers before the National Labor Relations Commission soon,” Musni said.
Government operatives led by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and the National Bureau of Investigation raided Sanjia’s 22.7-hectare steel plant in Baluarte, Tagoloan, on 15 May, arresting 69 undocumented foreign nationals.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, who visited the site immediately after, said authorities discovered hazardous processing materials and millions of tons of substandard steel rebars.
Last week, the Department of Justice released 64 detained Chinese nationals, citing insufficient evidence regarding immigration labor violations, poor working conditions, and the handling of hazardous materials.
The release followed a diplomatic protest from the Chinese Embassy in Manila, which raised serious concerns over the treatment of its citizens.
The plant was previously owned by Tony Yang, the brother of Michael Yang—an alleged drug lord who served as an economic adviser to former President Rodrigo Duterte. Tony Yang is currently detained in Manila for falsifying public documents to conceal his Chinese nationality.
Teodoro noted, however, that the steel plant will remain closed pending the resolution of the criminal cases.
Sarmen said the NBI and the Department of National Defense lack legal jurisdiction over Sanjia, adding that only the Department of Labor and Employment holds that authority.
Sarmen maintained that the plant’s closure does not make the workers liable, asserting they are still entitled to security of tenure, earned wages, due process before termination, and separation benefits.
“The government closure of Sanjia did not automatically terminate the workers, and its owners must still comply with our labor laws,” Sarmen said.
Musni said they would be filing the labor cases against Sanjia’s new owners, Zhang Dongjan. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)
