The Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD) renews its call for justice and full accountability as we mark one month since the building collapse in Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga.

On May 24, 2026, a nine-story building under construction collapsed in the early hours of the morning while workers were inside, many of them resting. Thirty lives were lost, and dozens more sustained injuries. Most were construction workers who had left their families in search of a livelihood. One month later, their families continue their call for support and justice.

The Labor Department has ordered the building owner, Jackson Lim, and the contractor, Golden Years Construction and Steelworks Corp., to pay a total of P11.4 million in fines and liabilities. This includes P1.1 million for labor standards violations and P10.3 million in administrative penalties under Republic Act No. 11058, or the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Law.

The OSH standards violations identified were grave. Workers were not provided with proper protective equipment, operations continued despite an existing work stoppage order, questionable certifications were submitted for safety and health personnel, and workers were underpaid and denied lawful compensation for rest days and holidays. Administrative cases have also been filed against Labor Department officials and labor inspectors from Regional Office III for lapses in enforcement.

However, identifying these violations is not enough. The building owner and contractor, whose negligence claimed workers’ lives, remain free of any accountability. It is deeply troubling, therefore, that Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino has declared the case closed. This pronouncement is not only premature but also a sharp contradiction of the reality faced by the victims’ families and a dismissal of their continuing cry for justice.

“Thirty workers are dead. Several victims’ families have yet to receive direct assistance; others were pressured to sign quitclaims, and they are now left to file criminal charges on their own in civil courts. How is this case closed? Declaring it so while families are still crying out for justice is not only premature—it is callous,” said Nadia De Leon, IOHSAD Executive Director.

IOHSAD also demands that the Department of Labor and Employment account for every single centavo collected through administrative fines since the OSH Law took effect in 2019. Workers and the public have a right to know where this money went, how it was used, and why it has not translated into stronger inspection and enforcement capacity nationwide.

“Administrative fines do not go to the victims’ families. They go directly to the government treasury. These are millions of pesos that have yet to benefit victims’ families, and that are, frankly, vulnerable to being lost to corruption. Where did the fines go? Why are there still not enough labor inspectors nationwide? The Department owes the public a full and transparent accounting,” De Leon added.

The Angeles City tragedy is not an isolated case. It reflects a broader and persistent pattern. IOHSAD has consistently documented that, on average, at least one worker dies each day in the Philippines due to unsafe working conditions. This points to systemic gaps in enforcement, accountability, and protection that no amount of administrative fines alone can address.

While Republic Act No. 11058 imposes fines, it does not establish criminal liability for violations that lead to injury or death. In practice, penalties are treated as operational costs rather than consequences for negligence, and workers continue to pay for it with their lives.

Accountability must extend beyond administrative fines. Justice requires that workplace tragedies not be repeated, OSH systems be strengthened, and those responsible be held fully accountable. The current OSH Law should be amended to make this possible.

IOHSAD calls on Congress to certify House Bill 5221 as an urgent and priority measure when it resumes session in July 2026. This bill, which seeks to introduce criminal liability for serious occupational safety and health violations, is the decisive legislative action that workers and their families have long demanded. Certifying it as a priority bill is the clearest signal Congress can send that workers’ health, safety, and lives should be protected.

“Thirty workers have died in the tragic building collapse in Angeles City. One worker dies every single day across this country. Enough lives have been lost. The families of the victims are still fighting for justice. Congress must urgently pass HB 5221,” De Leon ended.

IOHSAD will continue to stand with workers and their families in the pursuit of justice and safer workplaces.

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