ANGELES CITY, Philippines, July 3 — The owner of a nine-storey building that collapsed in Angeles City has asked the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to reverse an order requiring him to pay more than ₱11.4 million in unpaid wages and occupational safety penalties, arguing that he was denied due process and is not the employer of the affected workers.
Building owner Jackson Lim filed a motion for reconsideration challenging DOLE’s June 16 order directing him and contractor Golden Years Construction and Steelworks Corporation to pay ₱1.10 million in unpaid wages to 57 construction workers affected by a work stoppage between Sept. 27 and Oct. 24, 2025.
The order also imposed ₱10.32 million in administrative fines for alleged violations of Occupational Safety and Health Standards.
In the motion, Lim argued that the order was inconsistent with an Oct. 24, 2025 resolution issued by DOLE Regional Office III, which lifted the work stoppage after determining that the contractor had complied with required corrective measures and removed the imminent danger at the construction site.
According to the earlier resolution, the contractor provided personal protective equipment, safety belts, lifelines, safety nets, scaffolding, safety signages, improved worker accommodations and welfare facilities, and paid a ₱100,000 administrative fine. It also settled ₱275,000 in labor benefits and ₱128,700 in salaries covering the work stoppage period for affected workers.
Lim’s lawyer, Atty. Willy Rivera, said his client was not given a fair opportunity to defend himself before the order was issued.
“The respondent was never informed of the specific charges against him, was never furnished the evidence relied upon in the DOLE Order, and was never afforded a meaningful opportunity to submit an answer, position paper, or controverting evidence,” Rivera said in the motion.
Rivera also argued that Lim had no employer-employee relationship with the workers because they were employed by the contractor, and questioned the legal basis for holding his client liable for unpaid wages and administrative penalties.
The motion asks DOLE to reconsider and set aside its June 16 order.
DOLE had not publicly responded to the motion as of Friday. IORBITNEWS TEAM