Councilor Pamela Librado-Morata on Tuesday called for immediate assistance, livelihood support and employment opportunities for more than 300 workers of Davao Mighty Steel Corporation (DMS) who were displaced following the August 13 raid on the company’s steel manufacturing facility in Barangay Ilang, Bunawan, Davao City.
Librado-Morata, chairperson of the Committee on Labor and Employment Opportunities, said the workers’ most urgent concern following the operation was the loss of their jobs which were their source of income.
She met with more than 300 affected workers at Rizal Park on Monday after they went to the City Council to seek assistance and raise concerns about their employment status, unpaid wages and livelihood.
The DMS facility was raided by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), with assistance from the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), Philippine Air Force and Philippine Coast Guard CBRN units, PCG Special Operations Group, and the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.
Authorities served search warrants on the company over allegations that DMS was “manufacturing and distributing substandard reinforcing steel bars.”
The operation also reportedly involved the alleged rescue of 174 Filipino workers. PAOCC Executive Director Undersecretary Benjamin Acorda Jr. said the workers were found in an industrial environment allegedly containing radioactive materials, dust, fumes, wastes and production residues that posed risks of continued occupational exposure.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag also went to Davao City a day after the operation to inspect the facility and examine materials seized during the raid.
While authorities have highlighted the workers’ alleged exposure to hazardous conditions, Librado-Morata said the workers she consulted were primarily worried about how they would support their families after losing their jobs.
“Nakulban mi ug kaldero, Konsehal, ug sa kalisod sa panahon karon, asa na man mi mag-trabaho ani?” one worker told her.
“‘Asa man ang rescue nga nahitabo kung kami tanan sa Mighty Steel nawad-an man sa among panginabuhian ug wala may suporta?’ These are just some of their sentiments,” Librado-Morata said.
More than 300 workers are now uncertain about their employment and next source of income, she said.
The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) conducted profiling of affected workers who sought assistance. Of more than 300 workers interviewed, most were male, residents of Davao City, and had worked for DMS for between three and 10 years.
Librado-Morata said the workers are also seeking payment of their pending two weeks’ salary, noting that DMS management had not issued an official advisory on their wages, employment status or the next steps following the raid.
“Ang pagdangop aning workers sa local government angay natong tagaan og hinanaling pagtagad. Kay ang kahimtang sa atong mga trabahante sa syudad dili lamang ma-alibyohan sa temporaryong ayuda,” she said.
She also cited the account of a young worker interviewed on radio who described experiencing “pasmo” after the raid rather than feeling rescued.
“Walay ekonomikanhong suporta nga gihatag ang national government aron mapaneguro nga dili mapasmo ang ilang mga pamilya,” Librado-Morata said.
The councilor said the consequences of the operation could extend beyond DMS employees, affecting businesses linked to the downstream steel industry, including junk shops and scrap metal dealers that regularly supplied or sold materials to the company.
“Dili lang pud mga trabahante ang naapektuhan sa pag-raid sa DMS kay hasta mga junk shops ug mamakalay sa Davao namingaw kay halos sa DMS man nila ginabagsak ang ilang mga bakal,” she said.
Librado-Morata said her committee will hold consultations and public hearings this August, in coordination with CSWDO, Department of Labor and Employment 11 (DOLE 11), Public Employment Service Office (PESO) and other agencies, to address the workers’ concerns and identify possible assistance and legislative measures.
She said the city government would also explore employment and other forms of assistance under the existing Workers’ Protection and Development Ordinance (WPDO), particularly for contractual workers and those employed through agencies.
Librado-Morata also disclosed that her office is studying a proposed Workers’ Emergency Lifeline Ordinance, which would provide temporary assistance to workers who lose their jobs or livelihoods due to extraordinary circumstances beyond their control.
The proposed measure could cover calamities, pandemics, enforcement actions that result in the suspension or closure of business operations, and other emergencies that cause loss of employment.
“In the long-term, atong tumong ug tinguha nga makatrabaho balik ang kapin 300 ka workers sa Davao Mighty Steel. Bisan pa man nga sila nakapa-ilalom sa usa ka agency, sila entitled gihapon sa samang protection ilalom sa atong approved city ordinance nga Workers Protection and Development Ordinance,” she said.
