Eddie Garcia (File photo from Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — The GMA Network said it has yet to receive a copy of the labor department’s investigation findings on the accident that led to the death of actor-director Eddie Garcia.
In a statement emailed to INQUIRER.net on Thursday, the network said it would respond to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) once it receives a copy of the investigation results.
This after Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III shared initial findings from the investigation led by the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) which showed the network’s “lack of compliance” with occupational safety and health standards.
READ: Probe: No safety officer when Eddie Garcia had accident
“GMA Network fully supports the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)’s undertakings to ensure health and safety in the workplace,” its statement further read.
“Related to this, the Network has been cooperating in the labor investigation and has attended the meetings and submitted all necessary reports as required by DOLE and [OSHC],” it added.
The network had also earlier conducted its own investigation on the accident.
READ: GMA Network finishes probe on Eddie Garcia’s accident
Earlier, Bello ordered the OSHC to probe the accident which involved the late actor to determine whether or not the network complied with its rules and standards.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Law, the Labor Secretary is mandated to issue “the appropriate standards of occupational safety and health based on the number of employees, nature of operations, and the risk or hazard involved.”
It also requires “all safety and health personnel to undergo training on basic occupational safety and health for safety officers as prescribed by the [DOLE].”
A maximum amount of P100,000 will serve as an administrative penalty for the erring employer for every day of non-correction of the violation.
This is counted from the date the employer or contractor is notified of the violation or the date the compliance order is duly served on the employer, the law stated.
Bello also mentioned on Wednesday that an order has already been issued to GMA, but the network, in its emailed statement, said it has yet to receive one.
Garcia died at the age of 90 on June 20, days after falling into a coma following an accident while taping for a GMA TV series, tentatively titled “Rosang Agimat” in Tondo, Manila.
READ: Eddie Garcia passes away
READ: GMA Network ‘deeply mourns’ death of Eddie Garcia