Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — One of the families that accepted the P150,000-settlement offer from Kentex Manufacturing Corp. said that they had no choice but to get the money due to urgent financial difficulties.
This was in exchange of pursuing justice for their relative, 39-year-old Raquel Yamido, who died in the tragic fire that destroyed a slipper factory in Valenzuela more than month ago.
Related: Valenzuela mourns as more bodies found in gutted factory
Until now, no one — not any of the factory owners or government officials — has been prosecuted because of the tragedy.
But the Yamido family had no choice: For them, it was time to move on.
Raquel’s relatives were forced to accept Kentex’s offer of P151,000 as settlement money. This meant signing a waiver stating that they can’t file any labor and criminal case against the Kentex owners.
“Mayroon kaming pinirmahan doon na hindi na kami pwedeng maka-ano ng labor (filing of labor case),” said Chartio Tayo, Raquel’s aunt.
[Translation: “We already signed a document that said we couldn’t file a labor case.”]
‘Shackles of poverty’
The family said they were forced not by Kentex lawyers, but by shackles of poverty. After all, they needed the money to be able to bring Raquel’s ashes back to their hometown in Pikit, North Cotabato.
But Yamido’s family added that the settlement money wasn’t enough — they still have to pay for Raquel’s outstanding debts amounting to almost P100,000.
And the family’s chain of problems doesn’t end there. Currently, they are struggling to support Raquel’s 61-year-old mother, Violeta.
Prior to her daughter’s death, Violeta had been relying on the P2,000-monthly allowance being given by Raquel. Now, it’s gone.
“I don’t have work. She was my only support,” said Violeta, as she recalled how Raquel took care of her through the years.
Raquel also left behind two daughters who can’t provide the same assistance their mother gave to Violeta as they already have their own families.
“Ngayon patay na siya…wala nang tutulong sa akin. Yung dalawa kong apo, sa akin naglaki yan. Ngayon may pamilya na sila,” Violeta said.
[Translation: “Now that she’s gone, no one’s going to help me anymore. I have two grandchildren who I also raised. Now they have families of their own.”]
One of the two, 19-year-old Christine, is on her ninth month of pregnancy. Her husband, a Kentex fire survivor, is now jobless.
Financial, emotional struggles
As much as they wanted to seek justice for Raquel, who was the family’s breadwinner, Violeta and her grandchildren were caught between a rock and a hard place.
Kentex lawyer Renato Paraiso said 57 families already signed the waiver. He added that they were not coerced to pen their signatures.
“We stand [firm] that we don’t have any liability, this would purely be an act of generosity. The others will be a manifestation of the compliance what we promised,” Paraiso said.
While families like the Yamidos have been accepting settlement money, all they can hope for now is that the government upholds justice for the loved ones they lost.
