Netizens called for Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s inhibition from any investigation to be conducted on the New City Commercial Center (NCCC) mall fire tragedy after information on the mayor’s endorsement of Choice Mart, described by the company as the smaller format of the NCCC Supermarket, surfaced online.
Columnist and blogger Tonyo Cruz posted on social media platform Twitter a write-up from the NCCC website on Duterte’s endorsement.
Mayor Sara Duterte should inhibit herself from the investigation of NCCC mall inferno, and let an independent body do the investigation.
Inday apparently was an image model and endorser for NCCC.
Receipt, from NCCC website: pic.twitter.com/ZlUsZvrC4V
— Tonyo Cruz (@tonyocruz) December 27, 2017
Cruz asked why the mayor did not disclose the endorsement after what happened in NCCC Mall and amid calls for investigation and accountability. Cruz further demanded that “the Dutertes should also disclose if the NCCC owners were among the contributors to their presidential, mayoralty and vice mayoralty campaigns.”
“NCCC ambassador” Sara Duterte Carpio cannot credibly investigate the NCCC inferno. pic.twitter.com/ynTF8pgBXH
— Tonyo Cruz (@tonyocruz) December 27, 2017
Other netizens also dug up on Duterte’s endorsement with the NCCC brand.
Mayor Duterte was found to have attended the NCCC Christmas party early this month.
@tonyocruz would be correct: Mayor #SaraDuterte should inhibit from the investigation on the #NCCCMall fire because she's an ENDORSER of its supermarkets. Here she is celebrating NCCC's 39th anniversary early this month. — https://t.co/TQJ3FKS5n6
— katrinastuartsantiago (@radikalchick) December 27, 2017
Mayor Duterte has been NCCC Choice Mart brand ambassador since 2015.
The Mayor was NCCC's "new face" since 2015. — https://t.co/OPyuWHtaIT #NCCCMall #SaraDuterte
— katrinastuartsantiago (@radikalchick) December 27, 2017
The endorsement and news of it have always been public as they were commercial endorsements, but those outside Davao City, around 900-kilometers away from Metro Manila, may have only been made aware only now.
Inday Sara Duterte, mayor of Davao City, is an endorser of NCCC Supermarket. pic.twitter.com/wfZV3O7ILA
— Better PH (@LivesMatterPH) December 25, 2017
Mayor Duterte had also endorsed a paracetamol brand and a cellphone brand in the past. There are no laws that prohibit or penalize elected government officials from endorsing commercial products. However, situations may arise that there could be a conflict of interest, such as the case of the deadly fire at the NCCC mall, a business regulated by the local government unit that Mayor Duterte heads.
The Davao City mayor said she is not part of any investigation team on the incident.
Mayor Duterte said a multi-agency task force would be formed to investigate the fire. The task force would be led by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Almost five days after the tragic event that caused the death of 37 business process outsourcing (BPO) employees of US-based research company Research Now Survey Sampling International (SSI) and one mall security guard, the cause of fire or accountability for the disaster are yet to be determined.
Apart from the local government unit’s effort, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Department of Justice, and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) have announced separate investigations on the tragic incident.
The NBI would investigate if there are criminal liabilities and to file charges against those who could be held responsible. DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III ordered the department’s regional office to investigate if the mall management committed occupational safety and health standard violations and to assess the affected employees so they could be provided with emergency employment.
The BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN) called for a thorough and independent investigation amid social media posts that allege the BPO company or the mall may have not complied with safety standards, such as locked fire exits, lack of safety drills, failed sprinklers and failed alarm system among others.
The mall’s spokesperson already denied that the fire exits were locked or that there were no fire exits.
Mayor Duterte in a news conference on Wednesday also said the mall passed fire safety inspection and had obtained a fire safety compliance certificate that is a requirement for business permit renewal.
