Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. is given a tour of the Hanjin shipbuilding facility by Hanjin general manager for external trade Taek Kyun Yoo shortly after discourteous Hanjin executives barred government officials from the shipbuilding center.

Zambales Gov. Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr. had this clear message as he reminded discourteous executives of Korean shipbuilding firm Hanjin that ‘you’re still in the Philippines.’

Korean officials at the Hanjin shipbuilding facility here received an earful from irate governor when they tried to restrict the entry of government personnel at the shipyard last Thursday.

Ebdane, who was invited by Hanjin for an audience regarding various concerns and proposals, stood his ground when his hosts refused to allow vehicles of his staff and other government officials to enter the company’s compound at the Redondo Peninsula here.

“You are still in the Philippines , right?” Ebdane reminded Hanjin general manager for external trade Taek Kyun Yoo, when the firm’s security officers tried to bar provincial officials from the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Dept. of Agrarian Reform (DAR), and the Philippine National Police.

“If you’re not letting them in, then I won’t get in, too,” the governor insisted.

The incident marked the first time that Hanjin officials here relaxed their strict security protocol at the shipyard, which some observers described as “discriminatory.”

On one incident in December 2007, even then Zambales governor Amor Deloso was not allowed inside the Hanjin compound because his name did not appear in the guests list during a visit of former Vice-President Noli de Castro at the shipyard.

In Ebdane’s case, however, the new provincial executive asserted his authority and reminded the Koreans that it was them who asked for the dialogue in the first place.

Yoo, on behalf of Hanjin Heavy Industries Corporation-Philippines (HHIC-Phil), had sought the governor’s assistance, among others, in the processing of the firm’s application for land use conversion that was reportedly filed with the DAR and the Department of Agriculture almost a year ago.

HHIC-Phil needed the conversion permit before it could start construction on a 1,300-unit housing project for Hanjin employees at barangay Magsaysay in Castillejos, Zambales.

Yoo said that while the firm has already complied with all the requirements, including an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the local DENR office, it has yet to be issued a land use conversion permit.

Despite the incident at Hanjin’s gates, the dialogue with Ebdane became fruitful for Hanjin and the communities near the shipyard.

Ebdane, for his part, promised his assistance on the land conversion issue and gave instructions to the DAR representative to speed up the release of the said permit.

On Hanjin’s complaints about “squatter food stalls” that line up the roadside going to the Hanjin gates, Ebdane, upon inspection of the area and talks with the vendors, told Yoo to simply adopt the place for Hanjin’s corporate responsibility project, instead of treating it as a problem.

“It would be best for both parties if Hanjin would build a better structure for the use of the vendors,” Ebdane told Yoo. “The traffic problem at the food stalls can also be solved if you build a parallel service road that the vendors can use.”

The dialogue also touched on peace and order concerns, for which the parties resolved to put up a police detachment in the area; soil erosion that causes damage of the roads leading to the shipyard; and the need to put up a wharf for fishermen who were displaced when Hanjin took over the area to build its shipyard in 2006.

Ebdane also told HHIC-Phil officials to resolve the issue on the shuttle service for Hanjin workers, as well as tend to the garbage that the governor observed was filling up the area from the roadside to the shores of Subic Bay.

WELD YOUR DREAMS. SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza (standing 2nd from right) and Olongapo City Vice-Mayor Rolen Paulino (3rd from right) observe a Korean instructor of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Company (HHIC) while demonstrating the use of a high-tech welding machine, commonly found in shipyards worldwide.

Subic Freeport authorities reiterated yesterday its warning on possible malaria outbreak with the onset of rainy season urging thousands of workers of Hanjin shipyard at the Redondo Peninsula and residents in nearby communities to take preventive measures against the mosquito-borne infectious disease which is endemic in that particular area.

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) issued its warning and cited that, “it is very necessary” for residents and workers staying at sitio Agusuhin, barangay Cawag near the shipbuilding facility of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Corp.-Philippines (HHIC-Phil) to avoid malaria infection.

In a press statement, SBMA administrator Armand Arreza said the SBMA is maintaining in the area a Malaria Task Force (MTF) office, which is under the direct supervision of Dr. Solomon Jacalne, head of the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department.

The office was established to ensure that all necessary assistance with regards to the prevention of the spread of malaria is immediately put in place, especially during the rainy season when the nesting places of malaria-carrying mosquitoes are disturbed by rainfall, the statement said.

“This unit has implemented the anti-malaria program since Hanjin started constructing its shipyard in the area in 2006,” Arreza explained. “So we’re calling on residents and workers to please cooperate with the task force so that we can prevent infections.”

Sitio Agusuhin, which is the site of the Hanijn shipyard, is geographically within the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. However, it is under the political jurisdiction of the municipality of Subic, Zambales.

Arreza said that because of this, Subic town undertakes the delivery of basic services to Agusuhin while the SBMA coordinates with the local government unit on its programs and activities in the area, including the operation of the Anti-Malaria Task Force.

The SBMA official also said that on the recommendation of Jacalne, the SBMA Board passed in October 2008 a resolution requiring new job applicants and on-board workers in the area to undergo mandatory malaria screening before being issued their ID passes.

Newly-hired workers of HHIC-Phil, or those working for sub-contractors of the Korean shipbuilder within the vicinity of Agusuhin, were also required to renew their ID passes every six months, while regular personnel were made to renew passes every year.

“Considering the endemic nature of malaria in the Redondo area, the mandatory screening of all officers and employees of locators located in the Redondo Peninsula and other hotspots will prevent the spread of the infection,” Jacalne said.

Evelyn Crisini, supervisor of the SBMA Pass Processing Office which also conducts malaria monitoring just outside the Hanjin main gate in Agusuhin, said that in the month of July alone, 1,815 workers have undergone malaria screening, with all tests resulting in negative findings.

“In case a worker is found to be positive of malaria, he or she is immediately referred to the Department of Health for proper disposition,” Crisini said.

Meanwhile, Jacalne advised stay-in workers and residents in Agusuhin to maintain clean, comfortable and safe sleeping quarters by fitting windows with fine-meshed screens, using mosquito nets, regularly spraying sleeping quarters with anti-mosquito agents, and clearing the environs of stagnant ponds and pools of water.

“Malaria can now be easily prevented just by knowing what to do to eradicate the mosquito vectors (malaria carrier) and how to prevent the spread of the disease,” Jacalne added.

Governor Amor Deloso (second from right) receives the first truckload of construction materials donated by the Subic Bay Freeport-based shipbuilder Hanjin. The donation, which was turned over by HHIC-Phil external trade manager Taek Kyun Yoo (second from left), is expected to benefit some 2,000 families affected by floods spawned by typhoon Kiko last month.

IBA, Zambales—Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. Ltd.-Philippines (HHIC-Phil) donated half a million worth of building and construction materials to the municipality of Botolan, Zambales, which was hit by massive flooding during the recent typhoon.

The materials are expected to help flood victims rebuild their homes, said officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), who facilitated the turnover of the donations from Hanjin to the Zambales provincial government at the provincial capitol here.

Governor Amor Deloso, who had earlier asked for assistance on behalf of more than 2,000 families left homeless by the floods, received the first truckload of materials delivered by Hanjin.

The materials will include about 1,100 bags of cement, 800 corrugated G.I. sheets, and 10,500 pieces of concrete hollow blocks, said Taek Kyun Yoo, HHIC-Phil’s general manager for external trade, who supervised the turnover.

Yoo said that in the last couple of weeks, his company has also donated canned goods and other relief items to typhoon victims in Botolan.

However, “we deem that the canned and dry goods we earlier sent to Botolan are not enough because we also see the urgent need for the repair of houses destroyed by the typhoon. So the company decided to donate these construction and building materials,” Yoo added.

HHIC-Phil, which operates the $1.6-billion shipbuilding facility at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, has been enjoying continued growth despite the global economic crisis, Yoo also said during his meeting with Deloso.

The firm, which now builds some of the biggest ships in the word today, currently employs more than 18,000 workers, most of whom are from Zambales and other nearby communities, added Yoo.

“We are hoping that less typhoons will visit in the coming months, so that there will be no more damages to lives and property here,” he also said.

Aside from Hanjin, another Korean firm based in the Subic Bay Freeport had extended assistance to Botolan flood victims.

Neorex Philkor, which is into development of resort and entertainment facilities in Subic Freeport, delivered 800 bags of relief goods worth P200,000.

Neorex president Henry Park personally led the distribution of relief goods to evacuees housed at the Porac Elemenrary School and Bucao Elementary School, which still serve as evacuation centers for some 200 families in Botolan.

SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza, meanwhile, has commended both HHIC-Phil and Neorex Philkor “for taking the initiative of being a good neighbor to local communities, especially in times of need.”

“These are gestures that not only build goodwill between neighbors,” Arreza remarked. “These initiatives, in fact, help save lives and bring hope to people who find themselves in desperate situations.”

“We hope that more business locators in Subic would find the time and the wherewithal to extend their help,” Arreza added.

Members of the House Committee on Labor and Employment, (from left) Reps. Magtanggol Guinigundo, Mitos Magsaysay and Rafael Mariano, arrive at the Hanjin shipyard in the Subic Bay Free Port to inspect the firm’s compliance with labor safety standards.

Headed by its chairman Rep. Magtanggol Guinigundo (2nd District of Bulacan), the committee made an inspection of the shipbuilding facility owned and operated by Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp. (HHIC) in Subic’s Redondo Peninsula.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) officials, who accompanied the House delegation, said the lawmakers wanted to see for themselves how workers fared at the Hanjin facility.

“The ocular visit is in connection with the ongoing committee hearing to determine how safe the facility is, and to evaluate the working conditions of the workers in the Hanjin shipyard,” Guinigundo said during the inspection.

Other committee members who joined the Hanjin inspection were Reps. Carlos Padilla (Nueva Vizcaya), Joel Maglunsod (Anak Pawis), Mitos Magsaysay (1st District of Zambales), Rafael Mariano (Anak Pawis), Walden Bello (Akbayan), Edno Joson (Balane-Kampi), Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District of Cagayan de Oro) and Monico Puentavella (Bacolod).

The lawmakers were accompanied by Director Nathaniel Lacambra of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Region III, Director Brenda Villafuerte of the DOLE’s Bureau of Working Conditions, and SBMA officials, headed by senior deputy administrator Ramon Agregado.

The delegation was welcomed by HHIC general manager Taek Kyun Yoo, who briefed the visitors on Hanjin operations prior to the inspection tour.

According to SBMA records, a total of 19 fatal accidents have occurred in the shipyard since it started operations in 2006. The incidents had led SBMA and other government agencies to suspend Hanjin operations, as well as to blacklist some subcontractors, pending a review of safety measures at the shipyard.

During the briefing, Yoo told the congressmen that HHIC has been implementing health and safety measures that the House committee has recommended during previous hearings.

“We are happy to report to you that Hanjin Philippines is now 99.9-percent compliant in securing accreditation for all its health and safety personnel, and works toward the improvement of the working conditions of our workers,” he said.

Yoo also reported that the emergency clinic in the shipyard complex has been expanded to accommodate 20 beds and modern equipment, and now has four medical doctors.

The clinic is supported by an ambulance and three units of fast sea ambulances, he added.

Yoo likewise reported that the HHIC Board has approved an annual budget of P311,356,292 for the improvement of work conditions in the facility. This will also cover the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) such gloves, shoes, overall work suits, goggles and helmets, which are given free to workers, he added.

Bello noted, however, that despite the improvements in Hanjin’s labor safety, the implementation is still in the early stages.

“We are happy to hear and see the big improvement in the implementation of safety measures, but because they have just started doing this, there are lots more to do,” Bello added.

Magsaysay insisted, meanwhile, that despite the additional medical equipment and personnel, Hanjin should build its own hospital in the area so that full medical services would be available to the workers.

She added that doctors and nurses should be on duty at the facility on a 24-hour basis.