MANILA, Philippines – Two construction workers died after scaffolding collapsed at a building site in Santa Rosa, Laguna on Sunday, April 13.
Santa Rosa Police Chief Benson Pimentel told DZBB radio that the victims, aged 29 and 42, were pouring concrete on the second floor when the scaffolding gave way which caused them to fall. The two were working in a construction site for a mall in Barangay Santo Domingo.
Mayor Arlene Arcillas later confirmed in a Teleradyo Serbisyo interview that authorities were able to retrieve the bodies of the victims, adding that official reports on the incident will be released soon.
She added that she verbally ordered a work stoppage, and that a suspension order will be released tomorrow, following an inspection by the relevant offices of the local government unit. The length of the suspension order will depend on the initial findings.
According to Arcillas, the mall management expressed willingness to provide necessary support to the families of the victims.
The National Union of Building and Construction Workers demands a “full investigation into the incident and accountability for those responsible,” adding that the lives of workers must always come first.
“This devastating incident is not an isolated case but part of a larger pattern of negligence and systematic failure to uphold basic occupational and safety standards in the construction agency,” it said in a statement. – Rappler.com