TAGOLOAN, Misamis Oriental — The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) has formally petitioned the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to step in and protect up to 600 workers thrown out of work following a massive government raid on a local steel plant.

In a letter addressed to Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma dated May 21, 2026, FFW National President Atty. Jose Sonny G. Matula urged the agency to take primary jurisdiction over the workplace crisis, arguing that "a workplace is not automatically a crime scene simply because a search warrant was served."

Sudden shutdown leaves workers in Limbo

The sudden displacement stems from a high-profile, multi-agency operation on May 15 conducted by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) at the Philippine Sanjia Steel Corporation facility, located inside the PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate in Barangay Baluarte, Tagoloan.

Read also: Sanjia to pursue legal remedies after shutdown

While state authorities cited major national security concerns, immigration issues, and the alleged discovery of hazardous, radiologically contaminated materials to justify the immediate shutdown, the FFW emphasizes that innocent Filipino laborers are the ones bearing the economic brunt.

The shutdown adversely affected between 400 and 600 workers, completely cutting off their primary source of income and sparking immediate protests outside the factory gates as families demanded the plant's reopening.

FFW’s 4-Point Demand to DOLE

To mitigate the escalating livelihood crisis, the labor federation has respectfully requested DOLE to immediately execute the following measures:

Safety Inspection: Conduct an immediate Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) inspection of the facility pursuant to Republic Act 11058 to independently verify workplace safety conditions.

Audit of Benefits: Formally determine the exact legal status of the affected workers, ensuring they receive all unpaid wages and lawful separation or suspension benefits.

Tripartite Dialogue: Facilitate an urgent, structured dialogue between concerned government regulatory agencies, Sanjia Steel management, and workers' representatives.

Enforce Due Process: Guarantee that the government strictly maintains basic labor standards, constitutional due process, and overall welfare protections throughout its ongoing investigations.

"Matters involving occupational safety, labor standards, and worker displacement require the technical expertise and primary jurisdiction of DOLE," Matula asserted in the letter, calling on the labor department to balance public safety concerns with the constitutional mandate to protect labor.

What's next for displaced workers?

As the legal battle intensifies between the government and Sanjia Steel management—who have publicly decried the raid as "harassment packaged as law enforcement," the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has started profiling at least 292 of the rescued workers.

The DSWD has promised immediate psychosocial support and is assessing the displaced staff for emergency financial and livelihood assistance to bridge the gap while operations remain suspended indefinitely by the courts.