Pasay Council says ‘no’ to fuel depot

Because of great risks to residents, the Pasay City Council will prohibit the establishment of any fuel depot in the city through an ordinance.

Entitled "Anti-Existence of Fuel Depot in the City of Pasay," the proposed ordinance prohibits the establishment of combustible gas, diesel or gasoline depots.

The councilors said that the lives of "Pasayenos, especially those living within the 200 meters radius of the fuel depot" are especially at stake, as well as their properties.

The City Council has been conducting public hearings on the proposed transfer of the aviation fuel depot of Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., and Caltex Philippines Corp. from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) compound to a residential area in Barangay 201.

The relocation site is estimated to be only 200 meters away from the residential area in the said barangay, composed mostly of urban poor families.

About 20,000 families are opposing the aviation fuel depot’s transfer since it was revealed last February.

The depot is said to have a total storage capacity of 30 million liters of high-octane aviation fuel.

The proposed ordinance, which is still on first reading, underscores the inadequacy of the fire department to cope with a conflagration in such depots.

It also mentioned that oil depots have been identified by military and police as possible targets of terrorist attacks.

Existing gasoline stations, cooking gas refilling stations, and aviation fuel stations "with limited capacity for the sole use of the Philippine aviation industry" are not allowed to put up additional stations or increase their present stock of fuel, according to the proposed ordinance.

Violators will be fined P5,000 and imprisoned for a year.

Upon review, the committee on engineering and public works, headed by Councilor Allan Panaligan, recommended the approval of the proposed ordinance.