Kin of Kentex victims, survivors complain delay in case hearing

RELATIVES of the fatalities and survivors of Kentex fire have expressed disappointment over the slow turn of the wheels of justice.

The fire that broke out on May 13, 2015 left 72 workers dead and several others injured and became the third worst fire incident in Philippine history.

“We are certainly not happy about the delay and the lack of information about the hearing on the criminal charges that we filed. The 72 workers who died certainly deserve better,” Ammied Rada, coordinator of the Justice for Kentex Workers Alliance (JKWA) said.

The JKWA held a picket outside the Department of Justice (DOJ) to coincide with the first preliminary investigation almost a year after the tragedy.

“We are certainly not happy about the delay in and the lack of information about the hearing on the criminal charges that we filed. The 72 workers who died certainly deserve better,” he said.

Rada said it took two months before they were informed that the case has already been transferred by the Valenzuela Prosecutors Office to the DOJ.

The JKWA leader said the alliance had to hold various protest action before the DOJ would act on the criminal charges, condemning former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for recommending that only the company’ operations manager be criminally charged over the death of many workers.

“De Lima was clearly biased in favor of the capitalists of Kentex. We had to hold various protests before the DOJ would set the first hearing on the criminal cases that we filed. We had to force it to act against the capitalists of Kentex and not only it operations manager,” Rada stated.

During Monday’s preliminary investigation, two sets of complainants reaffirmed their affidavits before Prosecution Attorney Caterina Isabel C. Caeg and Assistant State Prosecutor Christine Marie V. Buencamino, a substitute for the absent prosecutor.

The first set of 10 complainants were only for the four respondents, officials of the Bureau of Fire Protection namely Ariel A. Barayuga, Mel Jose P. Lagan, Rolando S. Avendan, Ramon Maderazoas. The complainants have signed quitclaims with the Valenzuela City footwear factory’s owners.

But, another set of five complainants—who declined to settle with Kentex Manufacturing Corp.—impleaded five officials of the factory (Ong King Guan, Jose L. Tan, Charlie S. Ng, Beato C. Ang, Mary Grace Ching), alongside the four BFP officials and city fire safety enforcer Edgrover Oculam.

The ten respondents face charges for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and physical injuries, and falsification of official documents in relation to Republic Act No. 9514 (Fire Code).

The next preliminary investigation is on March 7.