STATEMENT
06 November 2026

IOHSAD demands independent probe of Jinboway fire, immediate aid for 3000 workers

The Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD) calls on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the massive fire at Jinboway Technology Ltd. Corporation, and to extend immediate assistance to the workers affected by it. 

The fire, which broke out last Wednesday, November 4, raged for eight hours before it was brought under control in the early morning of November 5, according to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. No injuries were reported.

IOHSAD demands the Labor Department to determine the cause of the fire and identify possible violations of occupational safety and health (OSH) standards by Jinboway. Workers and the public deserve full transparency, and any company found negligent must be held fully accountable.

IOHSAD also urges the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and DOLE to conduct immediate and comprehensive fire safety inspections across industrial facilities, enforce compliance with fire safety standards, mandate Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans, and strictly require the reporting of major workplace incidents.

Equally urgent is assistance for Jinboway’s more than 3,000 workers, whose livelihood and source of income are now compromised under a no-work-no-pay policy. With the Philippines’ inflation rate rising to 7.8%, workers are already struggling to afford food, rent, and other basic needs. The loss of income from the fire will push them deeper into hardship. IOHSAD demands the Labor Department to provide emergency assistance to all affected workers without delay.

“The consequences of workplace accidents fall heavily on workers one way or another. They may not have been injured by the fire, but their ability to live decently is now at stake,” IOHSAD said.

IOHSAD also reiterates its call for the amendment of Republic Act 11058, or the OSH Law, through the immediate passage of House Bill 10559, which has been transmitted to and received by the Senate. Stricter fines and imprisonment must be imposed on negligent companies so that workplace health and safety is taken seriously. Workers are not disposable and deserve to live with dignity.

“The investigation must lead to real accountability, and the government must act now to strengthen OSH in the country,” IOHSAD said.