T-Shirt Factory Destroyed in Fire

 A fire at a T-shirt factory has killed 16 people and destroyed the business. 

https://www.dzrh.com.ph/post/15-dead-as-fire-blazes-residential-area-in-tandang-sora-quezon-city

A fire broke out in a residential area being used as warehouse in Barangay Tandang Sora, Quezon City, on Thursday morning, leaving a total of 15 deaths, including a three-month-old child.

According to RH Val Gonzales, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) reported that the fire blazed at around 5:00 a.m. early morning, and the fatalities were found beyond recognition, and there are still three who fortunately survived.

Moreover, the casualties were still being identified by the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Scene of Crime Operations (SOCO) division personnel.

Based on the incident report from the BFP, the fire started at around 5:30 a.m. and was raised to its first alarm at 5:44 a.m.

It was declared under control at 6:28 a.m. and was officially fired out by 8:04 a.m.

According to BFP NCR Director FCSupt. Nahum Tarroza, there are highly combustible materials inside the establishment, including paints and other materials.

Tarroza added that they also found many working violations, which included the lack of permits as well as a small area that large machines being used in the production of clothes could not fit in.

Furthermore, Brgy. Tandang Sora said that the T-shirt factory just had its permits renewed last month.

The volume of acceptances at the factory appeared to be high as it operated despite an incomplete working permit.

Meanwhile, the BFP is conducting a thorough investigation into the fatal incident that killed 15 people.

Whoops!  It turns out this "factory" and "warehouse" is actually just a regular old house in a RESIDENTIAL AREA. It also had no proper permits though it was in the process of RENEWING its permits. Who the heck granted this business a permit to operate as a t-shirt factory in a residential area?  They need to be held accountable. 

Let's read another report of this same incident. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/31/15-dead-as-fires-hits-building-in-qc

At least 15 workers died when they were trapped in a fire that gutted a two-storey residential-commercial building housing a t-shirt factory in Pleasant View Subdvision, Barangay Tandang Sora, Quezon City on Thursday morning, Aug. 31.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said the fire status was raised to first alarm at around 5:30 a.m. and was declared under control at around 6:44 a.m.

The blaze was extinguished at around 8:04 a.m.

Authorities have yet to disclose the amount of damage to property caused by the blaze as well as the number of families/individuals affected.

The BFP and Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (QCDRRMO) personnel retrieved the bodies of the victim after responders were able to put out the fire.

In an interview, BFP Regional Director Chief Supt. Nahum B. Tarozza said that following their inspection, they found out that the commercial building only has one entrance and exit door and the t-shirt printing business operating inside it has no fire safety permit. 

He said that the 15 fatalities, who were personnel of the t-shirt printing business, were staying at the rooms at the back part of the building when the incident happened. Their names have not been disclosed. 

He added that the victims allegedly attempted to escape but failed. Their bodies were found outside their rooms. 

The BFP chief said that the fire allegedly originated from the old office of the business which was located on the first floor of the building according to the witness, while some of the materials used for the t-shirt printing are flammable such as paint and plastic. 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“The local government of Quezon City expresses its heartfelt condolences to the family and relatives of the victims of the fire in a building in Barangay Tandang Sora this morning,” the city governement said.

It said the City Social Services Development Department (SSDD) is now coordinating with the families of the deceased victims to provide them with assistance.

“Currently, the Department of Building Official (DBO) and Business Permit and Licensing Department (BPLD) are checking if the business using the establishment has enough permits and documents. Among the things to be investigated is if there is a violation of the National Building Code, Fire Code of the Philippines, zoning ordinance, business permit, occupancy permit and other laws and ordinances,” the local government said.

“We would like to assure the public, especially the families of the victims, that we will give priority to a thorough investigation to hold accountable the agencies or individuals who made the mistake that caused this incident, along with the implementation of additional measures and policies to prevent it from happening again in the future,” it added.

Now we get some more details. The building had only ONE ENTRANCE AND EXIT and NO FIRE SAFETY PERMITS! The "Department of Building Official (DBO) and Business Permit and Licensing Department (BPLD)" is checking to see if there were violations of "the National Building Code, Fire Code of the Philippines, zoning ordinance, business permit, occupancy permit and other laws and ordinances."

Obviously there were such violations. But on a positive note it appears there were no bars on the second floor windows. At least they have not indicated that is the case. It's another area that warrants investigation.

Finally, one more story about this situation.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/31/23/16-dead-in-tandang-sora-fire

Sixteen people, including a 3-year-old girl, were killed in a first-alarm fire that ravaged a house converted to a t-shirt manufacturing establishment in Tandang Sora, Quezon City on Thursday morning, authorities said.

Fire Chief Supt. Nahum Tarroza of the Bureau of Fire Protection-National Capital Region said on TeleRadyo Serbisyo the house on Kennedy Lane was undergoing expansion when the fire struck on the first floor of the house. He said chemicals used for t-shirt printing could have caused the fire to spread rapidly.

The owners of the house and their 3-year-old child were among the fatalities. Most of the fatalities were stay-in workers, the fire official said. 

Three survived the fire including Mariafe Parle, an all-around maid of the owner. She said that they were in deep sleep when the fire broke out and she escaped through a window.

She even tried to rescue the girl who was carried by her mother, but she had difficulty breathing. Parle sustained injuries on her hands and feet from jumping off the window.

Another survivor recalled that it was difficult for them to locate the front door, which is the only way out of the house.

Tarroza said they would launch an investigation into the fire after they learned that the house had no permits to operate. The house has yet to secure a fire safety inspection certification from the BFP.

Firefighters took too long to respond to the fire after they were given the wrong address, Tarroza said. Heavy floods in parts of Quezon City also impeded fire trucks from reaching the area quickly.

Since the maid jumped out of the window it is established that at least that particular window did not have bars. 

It is also noted that most of the fatalities lived at the job site. That is a real problem in the Philippines. No one should be living at their job. It is simply inconceivable that anyone is living in a factory. 

And for the coup de grace we learnt that the firefighters were given the wrong address which resulted in them arriving too late. 

What a horrorshow. Everything wrong with the Philippines is contained in the story. The reappropriation of residential areas as industrial/business areas. Workers forced to live in the factory. No regard for safety. 

No regard for safety is the key here. It seems as if everything in this nation is jury-rigged. I can say with confidence this is not the first such tragedy nor will it be the last. 

What Good Is A Filipino College Education?

What good is a Filipino college education? It's plenty good. In fact without a college education you are going to be hard up finding a job in the Philippines. Lawyer, doctor, nurse, architect, teacher, you simply cannot land a job if you have not sloughed your way through a proper four year course. Don't believe me? Take a look at these Now Hiring posters. Each job requires a college education.

You want to pump gas for a living? Then you need to be college educated.

Time to make the donuts!  But only with at least 2nd year college. High school graduate can be considered but you better have a pleasing personality and look cute in that uniform.

A cashier or a salesclerk at Kmart! This would be the bootleg Kmart and not a genuine Philippine branch of this American tradition. This picture is a little old. I wonder if they ever found 12 female college graduates between 18-25 years old and at least 5ft tall to hire as cashiers and salesclerks. What do you think?

A visual merchandiser.

Time to deliver the donuts! But only if you have at least 2nd year college.

The market is obviously flooded with tourism graduates so why not put that degree to use and be a Lady Sales Assistant/Cashier at the local vet! Men need not apply.

Finally you can be a Robinson's Supermarket Associate. They have many available job opportunities. However if you just want to be a cashier you only need a 2 year associate degree instead of a 4 year course What a relief, eh? Receiver/Receiving Clerk still requires four years of study. Can't have stupid and uneducated people running the backroom.

So you see having a college education is very important in the Philippines. Everyone you see working at a job has a four or two year degree. Filipino employers demand intelligent and hardworking employees. That is why this country runs so smoothly. You really can't be employed without possessing a 4 year degree. I mean you can but then you'd be like a freelance pedicurist looking for toes to pick clean at the park. Or a washerwoman looking for laundry to scrub. Is that the kind of life you want to live? Stay in school!

Sleeping on the Job Again

A few months ago I was out for an early morning run when I saw through the dim lights at a water station a man asleep on the job. I did not have my camera so I ran as fast as I could back home, got my camera, and biked back to take a few snaps.

Isn't he adorable? Sleeping like a baby. Thankfully no one saw me and I sped off as quietly as I arrived. 

A few days later I saw him sleeping again so I again whipped out the camera, which I had with me this time around, and took a few snaps.

This time I was caught! The second picture is the guy waking up to his fellow employee shouting and pointing at me! I ran like the wind back home laughing all the way. I changed my route for the next few weeks because I did not want any trouble but soon enough I was back that way and what did I see? You guessed it. The same man asleep!

The difference this time was that they had turned out the lights so no one could see into the area. But I saw him because I was looking for him. If you notice in the above pictures the lights are on but in this picture I had to use my flash.

I have been back that way more than a few times since and have not seen anyone sleeping.

As a bonus have this picture of a 24 hour sari-sari store with the owner lying down in bed.

Sleeping on the Truck

When the urge to sleep hits you better listen. Especially if it's night.  You don't want to be driving a truck packed with sugarcane when your body is exhausted. What better place to sleep than the hood of the truck?  So spacious and warm. Just pull over and climb on top!

And when the afternoon sun is burning down upon the earth why not get some rest in the shade? Just throw a hammock underneath your rig while it's parked on the side of a busy road and catch a few Z's.

Nothing more comfy than sleeping off the afternoon heat in a hammock under your overstuffed big rig while traffic speeds on by.  Just like paradise.

Family Living On A Construction Site

Last year the water company built a new water filtration or processing plant not far from my house.  I passed it everyday when I went running, taking pictures to document the building process.  Throughout the whole process it was obvious that the men working at the job laying the pipes and preparing the foundation were living onsite in a wooden shack. You could see all their laundry hanging about as well as their makeshift kitchen.

At a some point a family moved in. A few women and children just showed up washing dishes, washing laundry, and having a grand old time. I have witnessed many construction workers living on job sites but never have I seen a whole family move onto one. I took as many pictures as I could whenever I saw them out on the premises.  There was a blue cargo trailer which I was convinced they were all living in and the inside of which I eventually was able to photograph. It was filled with equipment so I don't think that was their temporary living quarters.

There is a story in these pictures but I'm not sure how to narrate it nor do I know what it is exactly. Did these children go to school? Where did they come from? Who allowed a family to live on the job site? Did the water company know about this? Is this against OSHC-DOLE safety standards? Does this family move from job site to job site or do they have a permanent home? Technically they are not on the job site because they are outside the fence but does that even matter?

It will be best to let these pictures speak for themselves.

The last picture shows the job nearly completed and the family, as well as the cargo trailer, gone. They disappeared just as suddenly as they appeared. 

Living and Sleeping At Your Job

In the Philippines many people live at their jobs.

Maybe these guys don't but many really do, especially if the business is a sari-sari store. The employees will sleep in the back or upstairs and then work like 16 hours a day. This picture was taken at 5:28 am. They are supposed to be open all night but these guys have just woken up. Sleeping on the job?

In the normal world these guys would be fired.  But the Philippines is not the normal world.

Incidentally do you know what they call the job these guys are doing?  Gas station attendant?  Gas station serviceman? Gas jockey? 

Not even close!

They are called "Pumpboys!"

Street Side Pet Shop

In the Philippines when you want a dog the best place to look is a sidewalk to see if anyone is selling dogs.

I am sure these guys are 100% legit. The dogs are likely healthy and they are exactly the breed they say they are.  

Just look at all this capitalism in action.  Adam Smith would be proud.  If you have something to sell then sell it.  Regulations and permits and licenses be damned. The entrepreneurial spirit is what will bring the Philippines into the economic stratosphere occupied by first world nations.