The owner of a collapsed under-construction building in Balibago, Angeles City, has filed a Motion for Reconsideration before the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), arguing that the agency erred in its order directing him to pay unpaid workers' wages and administrative fines totaling P11,426,798.50.
DOLE order and background
On June 16, 2026, DOLE ordered building owner Jackson Lim and the contractor, Golden Years Construction and Steelworks Corporation, to pay unpaid wages amounting to P1,102,798.50 to 57 construction workers affected by a work stoppage from September 27, 2025, to October 24, 2025. The respondents were also directed to pay administrative fines of P10,324,000.00 for violations of Occupational Safety and Health Standards.
This order came despite a resolution dated October 24, 2025, issued by DOLE III Regional Director Geraldine M. Panlilio, stating that the contractor had already corrected the violations. In the DOLE resolution, Panlilio noted that Golden Years introduced corrective actions, including the provision of personal protective equipment, safety belts, lifelines for work at height, safety nets around the construction site, erection of appropriate scaffolds, reconditioning of construction materials, observance of good housekeeping, installation of safety signages, provision of hygienic temporary accommodation and welfare facilities, payment of an administrative fine of P100,000, and payment of P275,000 representing 13th month pay for 2023 and 2024, incentive leave pay to 12 affected workers, and payment of P128,700 representing salaries of 13 affected workers during the work stoppage.
Work stoppage lifted
DOLE Region III lifted the work stoppage on October 24, 2025, after “confirming all documentary evidence of compliance and corrective actions taken by Golden Years Construction and Steel Corporation, and considering that the establishment complied with the conditions set forth for the removal of imminent danger.”
Arguments in the motion
Lawyer Willy Rivera, counsel for the building owner, said he hoped his client would be given “due process.” Rivera argued that 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.”
The counsel also claimed there is no employer-employee relationship between his client and the affected workers because they were hired by the contractor. He added that the DOLE Order “failed to disclose any competent evidence establishing entitlement to the alleged wages, holiday pay, and rest day premiums awarded therein.”
Rivera urged DOLE to “reconsider, set aside, or vacate” its order directing his client to pay unpaid wages and administrative fines.
