SRP mall contractor starts complying with DOLE requirements

A perspective of what Filinvest’s Il Corso development in SRP which includes the Il Corso Festival Mall. (LIBOTERO.COM)

Mercado Builders, Inc., the general contractor of IL Corso Festival Mall at the South Road Properties (SRP) in Cebu City is working towards full compliance with labor standards in two weeks.

In a statement on Thursday, Filinvest, the project owner, said the contractor has promptly submitted partial requirements to the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7).

“Filinvest received this update in light of the issues identified by DOLE and is confident that with this, the issued work stoppage on the mall’s exterior works will be recalled,” the company said.

Likewise, the firm reiterated its overall safety and quality stipulations with their contractors to ensure that they adhere to nothing less than the agreed upon standards as specified in the contracts that bind them.

The order was issued last Feb. 20 to the project project manager, contractor, and owner after the DOLE received a complaint from one of the workers at the site.

A mandatory conference with the parties was held on Feb. 21.

Among the deficiencies noted by the agency were: No DOLE Approved Construction Safety and Health Program (CSHP); No safety officer with Construction Safety Training (CST) Certificate; No DOLE Accredited Safety Practitioner; (4) No first aider; (5) No Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) license; (6) No structural analysis for gondola or monkey ladder; No TESDA Certificate or NCII for heavy equipment’s operators and skilled workers covering electricians, welders, and scaffolders; and no Occupational Health Nurses Association of the Philippines(OHNAP)-certified appointed nurse.