MANILA, Philippines – The management of the NCCC Mall in Davao City expressed its sympathies with the families of the victims of the fire which razed the establishment last December 23. 

Top officials of the mall visited relatives of the victims last Thursday, December 28, to vow their full support to them. 

In the statement released by its Corporate Services Division on Wednesday, January 3, the Davao mall said that the 660 workers affected will still be absorbed by their sites outside Davao City. They promised that their regular workers will continue receiving their salaries and benefits.  

“As early as the first day of the tragedy, top management already decided that the affected workers would not be displaced and instead would be absorbed in our other operations,” said Thea Padua, NCCC Mall’s Public Relations Manager. 

The management has also coordinated with the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to allow tenants and business owners to pull out their belongings. Padua asked for the affected tenants’ patience since the mall remains under the BFP’s custody. 

Aside from the NCCC’s aid, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has also earlier ordered the release of P30 million to assist the fire victims. 

The amount covers the emergency employment of the workers or their dependents for 30 days to ensure that no one will be displaced.

DOLE’s Davao regional office, together with the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSCH) and the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC), will also raise funds to give P20,000 to the families of the workers who were killed in the tragic.

Aside from the 660 regular employees, there are also 192 agency-hired workers of the mall that are on standby for possible deployment in other establishments. 

DOLE said that a total of 2,000 workers were affected by the fire; 38 of them are call center agents of the Texas-based firm Research Now SSI, who were trapped in the building and died supposedly due to suffocation. (READ: PH needs law on workplace safety after decade of tragedies)

The BFP is still conducting its investigation and is set to conclude it within the week. DOLE and the Department of Justice have also launched their individual probes. – Rappler.com