Oil rig company blamed for OFWs’ death

CHICAGO – The relatives of one of the three overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who perished in the explosion and fire that occurred at an oil platform two months ago in the Gulf of Mexico near Louisiana blamed one of the victims’ employers for their tragic death.

Jade Diane Tajonera, daughter of the late Avelino Tajonera, told journalists in a press conference held at the Bayanihan Community Center in New York that her father died because of the greed of the Texas-based firm Black Elk Energy (BEE).

“We are here to fight. OFWs are humans, not animals, not robots. We salute all OFWs, who leave the country to provide for their families,” she said.

Tajonera’s wife Edna said her husband’s employer violated Filipino tradition when it did not allow his co-workers to attend his funeral.

Sobbing while clutching the urn containing her husband’s ashes, Edna has yet to get over the loss of her high school sweetheart who eventually became her husband for 30 years, although they spent most of their married life apart due to the nature of his work.

Tajonera, 49, a welder from Bataan, along with his fellow Filipino workers Jerome Malagapo, 28, pipefitter, and Ellroy Corporal, 42, rigger, were killed in the incident that occurred at their workplace on Nov. 16, 2012.

Aside from them, Renato Dominguez, 52; Wilberto Ilagan, 52, and another Filipino whose name was withheld upon the request of the family were seriously injured in the incident.

Edna criticized the BEE for allegedly failing to comply with work safety regulations. She said had the company complied early on, her husband and his companions wouldn’t have died.

She thanked the community organizations, lawyers, and other Filipino workers for helping them continue the fight for her husband’s and his companions’ causes.

The press conference was organized by the Philippine Forum, the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), and other area human rights and cause-oriented organizations. It was a precursor to a multi-million dollar damage suit that would be filed against the victims’ employers, particularly the BEE.

Class action suit

The event was also attended by the victims’ fellow workers, around 70 of them, who had filed a class action suit before a Louisiana court against Grand Isle Shipyard (GIS), DNR and D&R placement agencies, and the Louisiana-based Thunder Enterprises, Inc.

The class action suit stemmed from the purportedly oppressive living and working conditions that the employers and placement agencies provided for the workers, aside from alleged violation of labor laws, breach of contract, and trafficking, among other violations.

The current and former workers of the BEE and GIS narrated their sad experiences, particularly on the issues of labor abuse and human rights, in a bid to raise awareness and gather support for their campaign.

The workers, who launched the Justice for Grand Isle Shipyard Filipino Workers (J4GIS-Fil-Workers) Campaign, are also promoting awareness for some 162 OFWs, who left the purported slave-and-prison-like condition at the GIS.

They encouraged their fellow workers to sign up an “Opt-In Consent Form” if they wanted to join the class action suit that would be filed against their employers.

There are at least 500 former GIS workers, most of whom quit when they could no longer stand the hostile work and living environment, while about 300 more are believed still working at the shipyard despite the alleged oppressive condition.