Senator Raffy Tulfo expressed alarm over multiple violations he encountered during a random inspection of a construction site in Quezon City.

During the Senate recess, Tulfo, who serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor and Employment, conducted unannounced inspections of construction sites, garment factories, canning facilities, and candy factories.
The senator’s office regularly receives complaints from laborers regarding abuse and maltreatment by employers, particularly concerning wages and benefits. Tulfo initially visited the construction site in Quezon City, noting that construction workers account for the highest number of complaints his office handles.
Upon arriving at the site, Tulfo was enraged to learn from workers that, despite having served the company for many years, they continued to receive wages below the mandated minimum and had yet to receive a single centavo of their 13th-month pay. Adding insult to injury, even the security guards stationed at the site reportedly earned only half of the minimum wage set for the National Capital Region (NCR).
Compounding these issues were the inhumane conditions of the workers’ living quarters, which officials from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and the Quezon City Engineering Office also found appalling.
Tulfo further noted the workers’ lack of proper safety gear and the use of outdated mechanical equipment whose maintenance status could not be assured, which posed serious life-threatening risks to those operating it.
Following the inspection, the Quezon City Engineering Office immediately warned the project engineer that failure to implement necessary reforms and properly treat workers would result in the cancellation of their construction permit and the suspension of operations.
Meanwhile, the BFP cited multiple fire safety violations at the site, warning that they could endanger workers’ lives.
In response, Tulfo assured the underpaid workers that they would receive their 13th-month pay and the full amount of wage differentials owed to them as backpay, a promise that was met with cheers and gratitude from the workers.