Condo owner to seek new unit, damages

MANILA, Philippines - The owner of Two Serendra unit 501-B, which was destroyed in an explosion on May 31, will ask the owner of the condominium to have the unit replaced and pay P30 million in damages.

“We will be sending a demand letter to Ayala by next week,” Raymond Fortun, lawyer for Marianne Cayton, owner of the condominium unit, told The STAR in a text message yesterday.

Fortun earlier refuted the findings of an interagency task force that negligence resulting in a gas leak caused the explosion.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas told a press conference on Friday that the leak in unit 501-B was caused by “unauthorized movement of gas range (causing) a detachment of the gas supply hose.”

However, Fortun said gas meter readings from the unit showed there was “very minimal consumption of gas between March 20 and April 25, and from April 25 all the way until after the workers renovating the unit had left.”

“That it would take the DILG four months to arrive at this conclusion was disheartening enough. That the findings are even contrary to the evidences that Cayton had willingly given to the DILG is just plain disgusting and borders on ineptitude,” he added.

Fortun said copies of the unit’s gas bills sent by Serendra to Cayton from Feb. 22 up to May 25, 2013 were given to the inter-agency task force that investigated the blast.

“The renovation works done in unit 501-B occurred from April 8, 2013 up to May 21, 2013. From the documents, it is clear that there could not have been a leak that may have occurred during the period of renovation,” he said.

In her sworn statement, Cayton said the renovation of unit 501-B did not touch the kitchen area and gas lines and that Serendra management was aware of the renovation work.

The California-based owner of the unit added the renovation work was just for the addition of another bedroom.

The explosion at the condo unit happened on the evening of May 31, or two days after the supposed renovation works had been completed.

Cayton said she had contracted C+G Interior Design Studio to make the renovation.

Cayton, in her statement, said she has no knowledge of how the explosion at the unit happened as she was in the US. She added that the renovation work done at the unit could not have been contributory to the explosion as she was informed that there were no inflammable devices, implements or equipment present as of May 31, 2013.

Cayton added that the Serendra management approved the renovation work.

“If, from the plans submitted, there was the possibility of gas lines being hit by reason of the renovation works, Serendra management would have disapproved the same. By approving the plans, it is implied that Serendra management had no concerns of any gas lines being affected by the intended renovations,” she said in her statement.