Five days after the deadly fire in Kentex Manufacturing Corporation’s factory in Valenzuela City, members of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Metro Manila lit candles in front of the factory to show sympathy to the bereaved families whose loved ones died in the fire.
“We wish to express our condolences to the family. We came here to light candles for them. But we are also calling for justice as we have learned the inhumane conditions in the workplace while these workers have been toiling for meager wages,” BAYAN Metro Manila Chairperson Raymond Palatino said.
As of this writing, 72 bodies have already been retrieved. The 69 bodies, presumably all workers, are still unidentified. The factory, which produces slippers, employs more than a hundred workers.
“We hope that our search for justice will not end here. We are afraid that many factories here in Valenzuela have the same situation and might suffer the same fate,” Palatino added.
Some relatives of Kentex workers who died in the fire came to light candles as well. Many were encouraged to speak freely their grief for they say they have not had a chance to truly grieve. Many of them wish to be able to hold funeral for their departed loved ones, pending identification via DNA testing.
Bodies still not retrieved
In an interview, Eduardo Candido claimed that there are still bodies inside the factory that has not been retrieved.
“Sa dami ng nagtatrabaho diyan (Kentex factory) at pumasok nung araw na iyon, hindi ako naniniwala na 72 lang ang patay,” Candido said.
Candido lost 8 of his relatives in the fire including his sister Rosalie Candido, 18 years old.
Rogelio Sula, who lost his daughter Mary Jane in the fire, also believed that there are more bodies in the factory that still need to be retrieved.
Hazardous working conditions
Ammid Rada, who worked at Kentex for a year and lost 2 of his siblings in the fire, shared that working conditions inside the factory were very hazardous. He claimed that chemicals used for making slippers are placed around the factory without proper labels. There were also no sprinklers, very few fire extinguishers and no fire exit. Fire drills were never conducted when he worked there, despite abundance of flammable materials in the factory. Workers were also not provided with safety gears.
From outside the factory’s compound can be seen that windows in the first and second floor had a layer of metal grills and a layer of chicken wires.
In a fact sheet provided by the Valenzuela City Public Information Office, the cause of fire was “sparks (that came) from the factory’s gate being weld set nearby containers of chemicals on fire.”
Demands
“Ang gusto ko lang naman mangyari ay hindi tigilan ang paghahanap dahil marami pang patay na nasa loob, hindi kami sigurado kung yung mga kamag-anak namin ay nakuha na o baka nasa loob pa.” Candido said.
Robert Neverio, who lost his mother Nora Neverio who have been working 16 years in the factory, said that the company should give them just compensation.
Palatino said that questions concerning the factory’s accreditation declaring that it is safe and the hazardous condition for the workers should be answered.
“We will continue the fight for justice and will ensure that we will continuously defend the rights and welfare of Filipino workers,” Palatino concluded.
