05/08/2026
𝐇𝐈𝐇𝐕𝐈𝐌 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐠𝐨𝐧
Reinforcing the government's commitment to safer workplaces and stronger compliance with labor laws, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Sorsogon Provincial Office, together with national government agencies and local stakeholders, successfully conducted the High Impact and High Visibility Inspection and Monitoring (HIHVIM) in the Construction Sector on August 3, 2026 at the project site of Sorsogon State University – Main Campus in Barangay Salog, Sorsogon City.
The activity forms part of the continuing implementation of the Regional HIHVIM Campaign following its official launch on July 8, 2026 under the theme "Building Compliance, Protecting Workers." The inspection covered the project "24FK0086 – Construction of Multi-Purpose Building (Nursing Building)," demonstrating the government's unified effort to ensure that construction workers are provided with safe working conditions, adequate social protection, and full compliance with labor and occupational safety and health standards.
Leading the activity was Ms. Mary Jane L. Rolda, Provincial Head of DOLE Sorsogon Provincial Office, together with the DOLE Labor Inspection Team and representatives from partner agencies. Prior to the inspection, Ms. Rolda convened all participating agencies for a pre-inspection briefing to discuss the objectives, inspection procedures and the specific roles and responsibilities of each participating office.
She emphasized that the HIHVIM goes beyond regulatory enforcement, highlighting its role in educating both employers and workers.
"𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝐼𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑉𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝐼𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑏𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑎𝑓𝑒𝑡𝑦, 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑟𝑠' 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒'𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦. 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡, 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝑔𝑜𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑓𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑤𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒," Ms. Rolda said.
Before the formal inspection commenced, the project's designated Safety Officer conducted a toolbox meeting with all construction workers. The safety briefing covered hazard identification, safe work practices, emergency response procedures, and the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), reinforcing the importance of maintaining a safe and healthy workplace before workers proceeded with their assigned tasks.
The inter-agency inspection gathered representatives from the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC), Employees' Compensation Commission (ECC), Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB), Department of Health (DOH), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), the Local Government Unit through the Office of the Building Official (OBO), Barangay Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Patrollers, and representatives from Sorsogon State University.
Throughout the inspection, each agency carried out assessments within its respective mandate through site inspections, worker interviews and document verification. The DOLE Labor Inspection Team evaluated compliance with labor standards and occupational safety and health requirements, while partner agencies assessed adherence to social security laws, health insurance coverage, fire safety regulations, public health standards, building regulations and other statutory requirements governing construction projects.
Beyond compliance monitoring, the participating agencies also took the opportunity to educate workers by providing information on the various government programs and services available to them. TESDA promoted its technical-vocational education and skills development programs, encouraging workers to continuously upgrade their competencies and enhance their employability.
Following the field inspection, the participating agencies convened for a post-inspection conference where they consolidated their observations, findings and recommendations. Areas requiring corrective action were discussed with the project management to facilitate timely compliance and continuous workplace improvement. The dialogue likewise provided an opportunity for the contractor and project representatives to clarify regulatory requirements and strengthen their understanding of their responsibilities in protecting workers' welfare.
For many workers on site, the inspection was viewed not as a disruption but as a welcome opportunity to better understand their rights and the government's support programs.
"𝑀𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎 𝑝𝑜 𝑛𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑘𝑠𝑦𝑜𝑛 𝑑𝑎ℎ𝑖𝑙 𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑔𝑎 𝑘𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑔𝑎 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑦𝑜. 𝑁𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑘𝑖𝑡𝑎 𝑟𝑖𝑛 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑠𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑦𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑜 𝑠𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑡𝑖𝑦𝑎𝑘 𝑛𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑡𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑎ℎ𝑢ℎ𝑎𝑛. 𝑀𝑎𝑠 𝑘𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒 𝑘𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑎ℎ𝑜 𝑘𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑔 𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑚 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑚𝑔𝑎 𝑎ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑦𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑦 𝑠𝑎 𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑘𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑡𝑎𝑠𝑎𝑛," shared Jose, 44 y/o, one of the construction workers during the activity.
The successful conduct of the HIHVIM further strengthened collaboration among national government agencies, local government units, educational institutions and community stakeholders in advancing decent work within the construction sector. Through coordinated inspections, technical guidance and the promotion of government programs and services, participating agencies reaffirmed their collective commitment to protecting workers' rights, promoting occupational safety and health and cultivating a culture of compliance in every workplace.
As the HIHVIM campaign continues across the region, DOLE Sorsogon Provincial Office remains steadfast in championing safe, healthy and productive workplaces ensuring that every infrastructure project is not only built with quality materials but also founded on respect for workers' rights, dignity, and well-being.
