Workers appeal as steel mill closed in Misamis
TAGOLOAN, MISAMIS ORIENTAL—About 50 workers gathered outside the gate of the Philippine Sanjia Steel Corp. on Saturday, holding placards and hoping to catch the attention of Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro after he inspected the now controversial facility.
The workers called for the resumption of the steel plant’s operations, saying their livelihoods have been disrupted.
The plant—operated by a company linked to Chinese businessman Tony Yang, who admitted in a 2024 Senate probe that he had faked his Filipino citizenship—temporarily halted operations on Friday after National Bureau of Investigation agents, along with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, raided its compound.
On Saturday, Teodoro inspected the area while Department of Justice lawyers conducted an inquest on around 69 Chinese nationals found inside the compound.
Several workers told the Inquirer that many Chinese nationals worked in the plant, mostly as supervisors.
Hazardous materials
Teodoro raised concerns over reports that the facility handles hazardous materials that may pose risks to workers and the environment.
He said operations will remain suspended “until the court disposes of what has happened here.”
Albert Castro, 34, who has worked at the plant for over five years, said his starting salary was P20,000 a month, rising with overtime.
“That is why we were shocked by the closure,” he said.
Before October 2024, Sanjia ran two 12-hour shifts; later, it shifted to an 8-hour work arrangement per employee.
When authorities took over the compound on May 15, about 125 workers were on duty, affecting at least 250 workers.
“We will care for the people who were exploited here,” Teodoro said.
Established in 2018, Sanjia processes scrap metal into steel bars.
