Headline
DOLE to probe security firm of disgruntled mall guard
FILE: Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III during a press conference on Thursday (Sept. 27, 2018), which is held at the DOLE main office in Intramuros, Manila.
(PNA photo by Gil Calinga)
MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will investigate the agency of the security guard who held hostage some employees of a shopping mall in San Juan City on Monday afternoon.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said they will look into the possible labor violations of Safeguard Armor Security Corp.
(Sascor), the security agency that provides security for Virra Mall.
Sascor was the security that fired, hostage-taker Alchie Paray.
“Why did they allow yung guard ng walang lisensya (Why did they allow the guard to serve work without a license) allegedly, and also mga reklamo n’ya [Paray] (his complaints), we will have that inspected,” he said on Tuesday in an interview.
“I have instructed DOLE-National Capital Region regional director, Atty. Sarah Buena Mirasol (to conduct the probe),” he added.
Bello said if they find violations, the agency’s license may be canceled.
He said they would also be looking at possible criminal liability if Paray’s claim that the security agency has not been remitting contributions to the Social Security Service (SSS), Pag-IBIG and Philhealth.
Bello said they will also determine if the mall management has a liability.
“They [mall management] should not allow the agency, to begin with, to hire unlicensed guards,” he said.
He, however, said they do not condone acts of violence, as committed by Paray when he took mall employees hostage.
On Monday, Paray, armed with a gun, shot and wounded a mall security guard and held hostage some 30 people from the administration’s office.
Paray accused the agency of corruption. He eventually released the hostages after authorities complied with his demands.
The officials of the security agency have resigned and apologized to Paray.
