MANILA, Philippines — Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said on Wednesday he would ask the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue a hold departure order (HDO) against the owner and contractor of the collapsed building in Barangay Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga.
Remulla said Ernest Jackson Lim, and Joel Young.should surface and coordinate with authorities as investigation and rescue operations continued.
The collapsed structure, a multi-storey condo-hotel project reportedly intended for mixed commercial use, was under construction near the Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles City, a key tourism and business area in Pampanga. The project had been issued a building permit in 2023, with construction starting in 2024, and was part of a growing cluster of hospitality developments in the area.
Authorities said the structure had previously been issued a temporary work stoppage order by labor regulators over safety compliance concerns, which was later lifted after reported rectification.
“No one is qualified yet to give a fault-finding report. We are after the facts,” Remulla said, stressing that responsibility cannot yet be assigned while structural assessments are ongoing.
He said qualified engineers would be deployed to examine the debris and determine the cause of the collapse, while reports from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), local government units, and the Philippines National Police (PNP) are being consolidated.
Remulla also said the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) would summon the contractor and property owner, citing possible criminal negligence over reports that workers were allegedly allowed to stay or sleep inside the construction site.
