DOJ orders probe of Manila Pavilion fire

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday ordered an investigation into the fire at the Waterfront Manila Pavilion Hotel in Ermita, Manila last Sunday where five people died.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II issued Department Order 160 directing the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe the incident and determine possible liabilities of the hotel administration and concerned government agencies.

Aguirre ordered the NBI to pinpoint the origin of the blaze and determine whether there is criminal, civil, administrative culpability of the owners, managers and employees of the hotel as well as any government agency.

Initial reports from fire probers showed that the fire started minutes before 10 a.m. last Sunday at the hotel’s casino wing, which was undergoing renovation.

The blaze then spread to the other areas of the 400-room hotel and lasted 24 hours before firefighters were able to put it out.

The fire, however, was reignited just before noon yesterday but was put out within an hour.

Authorities identified the five casualties as Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) treasury officer Edilberto Evangelista, assistant treasury officer Marilyn Omadto, security guard Billy Rey de Castro, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) operators Mark John Sabido and Jocris Banang.

Another PAGCOR employee, Jennilyn Figueroa, was reported to be in critical condition at the Manila Doctors’ Hospital.  

The Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) yesterday sought justice for the workers who died in the hotel fire.

“We demand accountability for yet another workplace tragedy that has resulted in workers’ deaths. The Waterfront management and the PAGCOR must be subjected to an independent probe that would look into the clear signs of occupational safety and health standards violations,” KMU chair Elmer Labog said in a statement.

Labog said there were reports that PAGCOR management prevented workers from exiting the building to safeguard their vault. 

Until now, Labog said, no one has been held accountable for workplace tragedies in Davao in December 2017, the Resorts World Manila fire in in June 2017, the HTI tragedy in Cavite in February 2017 and the Kentex factory fire in Valenzuela City in May 2015.

Labog said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) must also be accountable for condoning occupational safety and health violations that put workers’ lives in peril. 

Meanwhile, DOLE is looking into possible assistance for the affected workers of Manila Pavilion. 

Labor Undersecretary Joel Maglunsod said DOLE has sent a team to assess the situation and determine the necessary intervention that the government can extend to the affected hotel workers.