Palace reviewing proposal to remove Pandacan oil depot

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang is reviewing the plan to move the oil depots out of Pandacan, Manila.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda yesterday said Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. was tasked to study the matter.

“It already reached OP (Office of the President). There is a law in the city of Manila, which states that any issue can be brought to the OP. The office of the executive secretary is studying it, and we will let you know what will be the result of that study,” he said.

The study includes the warning by oil companies that transferring the oil depots would take its toll on the prices of fuel in view of higher transport costs.

“That consideration and other incidents will be studied as a result of the appeal taken by the city of Manila to the OP,” Lacierda said.

Last year, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim rejected for the second time a proposed city ordinance seeking to reclassify the 33-hectare Pandacan oil depot from an industrial to a commercial district.

The reclassification would have compelled Shell Petroleum Corp., Chevron Philippines Inc. (formerly Caltex Philippines Inc.) and Petron Corp. to dismantle and relocate their existing distribution terminals in Pandacan.

Lim first vetoed the ordinance when it was passed in September.

Lim has said that if the city council would again override his second veto, the ordinance together with the veto message may be forwarded to the President for approval or disapproval.

DENR suspends ECC

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) suspended the operations of a private oil depot said to be responsible for the fuel leak into Pasig River on Saturday.

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said the Environmental Management Bureau-National Capital Region suspended the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) of Larraine Marketing yesterday.

Paje said the oil depot “would not be able to operate until they are able to rectify the situation.”

The fuel leak caused panic among residents living in the area with a number of them brought to hospital after experiencing shortness of breath due to the foul smell.

Paje said the Laguna Lake Development Authority would determine possible charges and penalties for the depot’s owner. He said the LLDA has jurisdiction over the polluted waters.

Clearing operations

With the oil spill contained, clearing operations by the Philippine Coast Guard shifted to the removal of contaminated water lilies, Rear Admiral Luis Tuason Jr., PCG vice commandant for operations, said.

On Sunday, the PCG placed oil booms to contain the spill.

The Manila Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council and an incident committee that includes the Bureau of Fire Protection and the PCG had arranged for the siphoning of 44,000 liters of used oil and about 4,000 liters of sludge from the tanks of Larraine Marketing to remove further the threat of oil leaking out and spilling into the river.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) records listed Therese Ramos Enriquez as the owner of the company but employees have identified a certain Mr. Sy as the real owner.

Tuason said a check made on the firm’s ECC showed that the company was only allowed to operate storage facilities for bunker oil, with about one million liters for delivery and hauling of lorry trucks. He said storage of used oil is not allowed under the ECC.

The Manila city government, through city administrator Jay Marza, also the incident commander, declared the leak fully contained at 1 p.m. yesterday.

Pasig River disasters

As this developed, LPGMA party-list Rep. Arnel Ty said the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) should acquire fireboats and helitankers to suppress possible fires, including oil spill fires, along the Pasig River.

“The Sta. Ana oil depot spill has highlighted the risk of potential Pasig River fire disasters that we may not be able to contain right away, because the BFP does not have any assets capable of fighting fires from our waterways and from the air,” Ty said.

He noted that the accidental discharge of thousands of liters of bunker fuel into the Pasig River still caused panic among Sta. Ana residents, who were overwhelmed by gas fumes, even though a fire was averted.

“Fireboats and helitankers might be wise investments to reinforce the BFP’s fire-fighting capability, considering we have many communities and businesses along the Pasig River,” he said.

Fireboats are specialized vessels with pumps and water cannons for fighting riverside, shoreline and shipboard fires. Helitankers are helicopters fitted with water receptacles, or mounted with firefighting foam cannons. – With Paolo Romero, Rhodina Villanueva, Rainier Allan Ronda, Rey Galupo