Ten years ago, a factory became a tomb.

More than 70 workers were killed in the Kentex factory fire — one of the deadliest industrial fires in Philippine history. But this was no accident. It was a preventable incident fueled by neglect, unsafe working conditions, and a system that treats workers’ lives as expendable.

The Kentex Fire: A Crime of Neglect

It began with a spark — welding sparks that ignited a massive fire inside the Kentex slipper factory in Valenzuela City. But the spark was not the root cause of the disaster.

Survivors have long pointed to the dangerous and deadly conditions inside the factory. Barred windows too narrow to escape through, locked fire exits, and the improper storage of highly flammable chemicals were not the immediate cause of the fire, but they turned what could have been a manageable incident into a mass casualty. These were not isolated oversights, but daily realities that workers had endured for years — red flags that employers ignored and authorities failed to address. The fire may have started with a spark, but it was decades of neglect that made it fatal.

The fire spread rapidly, fueled by chemicals stored at the entrance of the factory. The locked exits and barred windows turned the workplace into a death trap. In a matter of minutes, dozens of workers, many of them young and new to the job, were trapped and burned alive.

This was not a tragedy caused by chance. It was a tragedy made inevitable by negligence and impunity. And in that fire, not only were lives lost, but entire families were shattered, their grief still burning ten years later.

A Decade of Injustice

A full decade has gone by, yet justice remains elusive. No employer has been held truly accountable. No state official has faced the consequences of their failure to enforce occupational safety laws. While some compensation has been given, it has never been enough, and it has never come with justice.

The families of the victims, the survivors, and their advocates have not stopped fighting. The pain has not faded. The fire, for them, still burns.

Art, Memory, and Struggle: Honoring Kentex Through Culture and Collective Action

On April 25, 2025, the Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD), together with the Concerned Artists of the Philippines, Likha, Mayday Multimedia, Pahatid Kalatas, Tulos Baybay, Gamá Collective, the PUP College of Arts and Letters, and the Unyon ng mga Guro sa PUP (UGPUP), organized a cultural night to commemorate the Kentex factory fire through performances, poetry, and testimonies.

The event became a powerful space of collective mourning and resistance. Families of the victims stood on stage to share their stories — grief interwoven with rage, loss tempered by unwavering resolve. Mrs. Marilyn Yco, mother of Frederick Yco, who had worked at Kentex for just one week, shared her enduring pain and continuing struggle. Ahmed Rada, who lost his siblings Gerly and Ericson in the fire, addressed the audience, composed largely of students, with a call to carry the fight forward. Though battling illness, Ahmed’s presence was a testament to the strength of survivors and kin who refuse to let this crime be buried in silence.

Days later, on April 28, IOHSAD, together with NSTP students from the University of the Philippines Manila and the labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), marked International Workers’ Memorial Day. Held outside the Philippine General Hospital, “Mula sa Abo’t Pighati Hanggang sa Sama-samang Paglaban” (“From Ashes and Grief to Collective Struggle”) featured a photo exhibit, candle lighting, and protest. The action called not only for remembrance but for accountability: criminal charges for negligent employers and stronger laws to protect workers’ lives.

The cultural and political resistance extended into print through the release of “Sa paanan ng pag-asa: sigaw ng hustisya”, a zine featuring eight poems reflecting on the Kentex fire. Created in collaboration with Gamá Collective, the zine helps fund Alipato sa Pugon, a community play written and performed by victims’ families and advocates. Through this artistic resistance, the fight for justice is carried into classrooms, communities, and beyond.

No number of years should silence a fight born of injustice. Ten years may have passed since the Kentex factory fire, but time has neither erased the grief nor diminished the resolve of those who continue to struggle. For the families, survivors, and in memory of those who were lost, the fight lives on — for truth, for justice, and for a future where no worker has to risk their life just to earn a living.

This is not just their fight — it is ours. We must echo their demands, raise their voices, and turn remembrance into action. Sound the call for justice. Hold those responsible to account. Fight for safe, humane, and dignified work for all.

Justice has been delayed for ten long years, but the struggle is far from over. As long as we remember, organize, and resist, accountability remains possible. And justice, however long withheld, remains a demand we will never abandon.