EDITORIAL - Trapped to death

Just two days after a woman and her six children died in a 10-minute fire that engulfed their small tent in an evacuation site in Tacloban, another blaze, this time in Pasay City, claimed the lives of eight women.

The tragedy in Tacloban, however, was an accident. The deaths of the eight women early last Friday was the result of a criminal act. Firefighters reportedly found the remains of the eight women inside a room that was padlocked from the outside. The women were aged 19 to 24. The barangay chairman said the victims were recruited in Negros Oriental when they were still minors to work in the Asia Metro Tech Inc. electronics shop housed in the two-story building.

Such buildings are required by law to have fire prevention measures such as fire escapes and extinguishers. But the owner, according to barangay officials, treated the young workers like prisoners and refused to let them return to their province. Anyone who padlocks his workers inside a room clearly does not intend to give them a means of escaping by installing fire exits.

Nine other workers at least managed to destroy the window grills and air-conditioning vent in their room and escape to safety. Police have taken into custody Juanito Go, who owns the shop that repairs and assembles electronic gadgets such as laptops, DVD players and mobile phones. Arson probers said the fire started on the ground floor where the gadgets were stored.

Such stories of abuse are not unusual, although the cases have gone down as Filipinos become more empowered and aware of workers’ rights. Vigilance of authorities is also indispensable. Barangay officials are tasked to help enforce laws against the abuse of children and workers. If the barangay officials were aware of the abuse of workers in the electronics shop, the officials should have alerted proper authorities.

Obviously this is too late for those eight women. But recent disasters in the Visayas and Mindanao have led to an influx of impoverished people looking for work in the cities. They are vulnerable to labor exploitation and other forms of abuse. The deaths in Pasay should prod authorities to ensure that appropriate punishment will be imposed, to serve as a deterrent and help ensure that this tragedy is not repeated.