‘Government should improve workers’ conditions in infrastructure projects’

MANILA, Philippines — The government must ensure the welfare of construction workers and give them ample opportunities to upskill, especially those employed in government infrastructure projects touted to be among the drivers of economic recovery, senators said.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said the government should improve the conditions of construction workers as it ramps up construction of multibillion-peso projects, such as requiring private contractors to submit sworn statements of workers’ list and payment of their Social Security System (SSS) and Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) dues.

“May I request that you look into it, if DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) can have a monitoring system, or have contractors submit under oath naming the people who worked in a particular project or checklist of payments to the SSS, PhilHealth, etc.,” Cayetano told Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan during the hearing on the agency’s proposed P718.360-billion budget for 2023 on Thursday.

The senator said the DPWH could consider entering into a memorandum of agreement with the Philippine Constructors Association, a national group of construction companies and contractors, as well as the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to provide mentorship and upskilling programs for construction workers.

He also pointed out that the DPWH must ensure technology transfer agreements especially with foreign assisted projects, such as those built with aid from Japan or China.

Cayetano mentioned that US President Joe Biden recently signed an executive order to boost the quality of federal construction projects, with the welfare of construction workers among the top priorities.

Biden’s EO aims to improve the salaries and job quality for nearly 200,000 workers on US federal construction contracts.

During the same hearing, Sen. Raffy Tulfo asked Bonoan to require contractors for infrastructure projects to secure a liability insurance for accidental death or injury of its workers and motorists.

Tulfo said the amount of the coverage of liability insurance should be at least P1 million per project, which increases as value of the project goes up.

“Based on my experience, there have been numerous incidents where workers get into accidents – they get amputated or injured after being hit by heavy equipment, there are also motorists who fall into canal that were left uncovered by contractors. Some victims have died,” Tulfo said in Filipino.

“And yet, they are not compensated. They are actually given a hard time – going through litigation in barangays, mayor, DPWH but nothing happens. Sometimes, I shoulder the amount because they (victims) have no insurance,” he said.

Tulfo, who also hosts “Wanted sa Radyo,” recalled an instance wherein he managed to oblige a contractor to shoulder the cost for their worker’s death while on duty, but to his dismay the contractor merely offered to pay P20,000.

Bonoan welcomed the senator’s suggestion, saying they will look into ways to incorporate liability insurance to the current policy.

The senator also asked Bonoan to stop the current practice of sub-contracting infrastructure projects which often result in substandard roads where accidents are likely.

In current sub-contracting practice, Tulfo said the principal contractor who won the bidding would simply transfer the implementation and construction of the project to a smaller contractor lacking financial and technical capability.

The principal contractor would get a cut from the project price by only using his license, or in Tulfo’s term, “laway lang (only sales talk).”

In many cases, the sub-contractor would again transfer the project to another smaller sub-contractor. In effect, the budget available for the third contractor would be small and insufficient for quality projects, he said.