ZAMBOANGA CITY -
Unmindful of the weather bulletin placing the entire Zamboanga Peninsula under storm
signal no. 1 wrought by Typhoon “Crising,” around 165 participants from across
the region braved the rainstorm and traveled all the way to Zamboanga City to
attend the 1st Regional Occupational Safety and Health (ROSH) Summit held Feb.
20-21 at Marcian Garden Hotel and Convention Center this City.
With the theme, “Embracing
challenges and Sharing Visions for an Accident and Incident-Free Region,” the
participants have learned about the 5 Safety and Health, Employees
Compensation-related topics, and 7 Best Practices in the workplaces, all aimed at
creating a region-wide awareness on the dimensions and consequences of
work-related accidents, injuries and diseases. It also sought to place the
Health and Safety of workers in the regional agenda and to stimulate and
support practical action at all levels.
The event was organized by the
Zamboanga Peninsula Occupational Safety and Health Network, Inc. (ZamPen
OSHNet, Inc.), and the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PSME) - ZamBaSulTa
Chapter, with the support of the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC),
Employees Compensation Commission (ECC) and the Department of Labor and
Employment (DOLE).
Zamboanga City Mayor Celso L. Lobregat
welcomed the participants and informed them that there was only one reported
incident of ammonia leak which affected around 200 families in Barangay Ayala,
Zamboanga City sometime in February 2012. He further emphasized that “there is
industrial peace in Zamboanga City, and safety is the primordial concern, being
the industrial center of the region.”
OSHC Executive Director Ma. Teresita
Cucueco lauded the organizers for “pushing for a better quality of life by
facilitating this kind of event which will lead to zero accident in the
construction and other major industries in the region.” Further, she encouraged
the audience to open more doors for voluntary compliance with OSH standards and
other labor laws.
In the keynote address of DOLE
Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, which was read by DOLE-9 Regional
Director Sisinio B. Cano, she congratulated the organizers and lauded the support
agencies for coming up with such important event. She also expressed her
gratefulness to the local government and the tripartite partners for the
support and utmost protection of workers in the region.
“Mindanao is teeming with
flourishing businesses-construction, fishing, agriculture, mining, canning, and
power generation. Sustaining the status of being a productive super region
comes with greater challenges, risks, and hazards which require innovative
responses. I thus endeavor all the participants to make use of the valuable
learning they will gain from this summit and turn them into viable programs and
plans that will lead us closer to having an accident and incident-free regional
country,” she further stressed.
The event ended with the passage of
a resolution by the participants supporting the implementation of Occupational
Safety and Health Program, and urging the designation of an accredited safety
officer/practitioner in every workplace/establishment. (FPG/GTT/DOLE9/PIA9/alt)
