The Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD) joins in mourning the loss of Engr. Reuben James “RJ” Ramos (30), Rexter Banal (27), and Lance Molijon (26) who died Monday, October 5, in a workplace incident at Dusit Thani Residence, Davao City. To their families, friends, and loved ones, our hearts are with you.

RJ, Rexter, and Lance were carrying out maintenance work inside the sewage treatment plant of the hotel when a gas leak occurred. Unfortunately, the Special Rescue Force of the Davao City Fire District (DCFD), who received a report at around 2 am, was only able to retrieve the bodies of the three workers. The DCFD later detected high levels of carbon monoxide in the area, explaining that prolonged exposure could lead to dizziness or suffocation, but said that they are still waiting for the autopsy results to determine the cause of death.

IOHSAD echoes the call of the bereaved families for an honest, truthful, and comprehensive narrative of the situation which led to the deaths of RJ, Rexter, and Lance. We call on the Davao City Police Office to make the results of their investigation available to the public.

We also call on the Department of Labor and Employment – Davao Region to conduct an independent investigation regarding the OSH compliance of Dusit Thani Residence, as well as their violations on OSH standards.

Moreover, we also urge the Senate to create a counterpart bill of House Bill No. 10559, which would amend the OSH Law and truly hold employers accountable by criminalizing OSH standards violations that lead to the death of their workers.

In the current OSH Law, employers proven to have violated OSH standards could easily escape accountability by paying administrative fines. Employers even go as far as offering financial settlement to victims’ families while making them sign quitclaims to prevent them from pursuing legal action.

Thus, the cycle of OSH negligence continues, employers walk away from their crimes scot-free, while young workers like RJ, Rexter, and Lance who make an honest living instantly die without justice. This must come to an end. Workers must no longer accept a world in which dying is part of their job description.

IOHSAD calls on workers to organize, mobilize, and fight for genuinely safe and healthy workplaces and justice for victims of OSH negligence.