Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella (left, in white barong) inspects the portion of the retaining wall that collapsed at the construction site of the Casa Mira Towers in Labangon, crushing to death one worker. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
CEBU CITY — The Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7) has issued an order to stop the ongoing construction of a residential condominium project in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City, after its retaining wall and steel piles collapsed, crushing a worker to death on Wednesday.
The order was served about 4 p.m. on Thursday by Engineer Ray Martin Codeniera, DOLE-7 labor law compliance officer, at the construction site of Casa Mira Towers along Salvador Extension in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City.
The contractor, J.E. Abraham Lee Construction and Development, and developer, AB Soberano International Corp. and Cebu Landmasters Inc., will be called for a mandatory conference to correct the four lapses found by DOLE-7.
In the meantime, the work on the project would have to be suspended, said Exequiel Sarcauga, DOLE-7 director.
Casa Mira Towers is a residential condominium project located on a 3,681-square-meter lot in Barangay Labangon. The developer plans to build two towers.
John Eric Llera, 20, was welding a large steel beam along the perimeter of an excavation when the retaining wall collapsed and crushed him to death around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
DOLE 7 Director Exequiel Sarcauga explains to reporters why his office is suspending the construction of the Casa Mira condominium towers in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City, after the collapse of a retaining wall on Aug. 31, 2016, claimed the life of a worker. (CDN PHOTO/ VICTOR ANTHONY SILVA)
Based on their investigation, Sarcauga said J.E. Abraham Lee Construction and Development committed four serious lapses.
The violations include the lack of safety and health program for workers, the absence of insurance and social benefits coverage for the victim, the failure to secure a certification for equipment operators, and the lack of a testing certificate for the backhoe used in construction. SFM/rga
A wall collapsed at the construction site of Casa Mira Towers in Labangon, Cebu City, on Aug. 31, 2016, crushing a worker to death. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)