Chinese workers illegally employed in Batangas power plant

BATANGAS, Philippines –At least 600 Chinese workers were found to be working illegally at the D.M. Consunji Inc. (DMCI) coal-fired power plant in Calaca.

Evelyn Reyes, officer-in-charge of Calaca’s business permit and licensing office (BPLO), said the sub-contractors of DMCI are also operating without a mayor’s permit.

A joint task force of the National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Immigration (BI) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) raided the DMCI power plant on Thursday after receiving information about illegal workers.

Authorities said many of the Chinese workers, who were reportedly recruited in mainland China and Taiwan, only have tourist visas.

BI spokesperson Elaine Tan said the Chinese workers would be charged for violation of the Philippine Immigration Act and deported if they could not present their working permits.

In a statement, the DMCI said they were “surprised and very disappointed” at the purpose and manner of the raid on their work sites.

The company said the raiding team told their people at the site that their mission was to verify the existence of human trafficking.

“Yet the mission order issued by the BI sought to verify and investigate foreigners illegally working in Calaca, Batangas, while that of the DOLE under Administrative Order 422 states that the joint assessment to be conducted is in compliance with the Labor Laws Compliance System,” it said.

The DMCI said the company has been diligently complying with Philippine laws in hiring foreign workers.

“We believe better coordination and communication among the different government agencies would prevent unreasonable disruptions in our construction at this crucial stage of project completion,” it added. – With Evelyn Macairan