‘A ticking time bomb’

A Manila councilor warned yesterday that the oil depots in Pandacan were "ticking time bombs ready to explode at any time."

In an interview, Councilor Benjamin Asilo of Manila’s 1st district said the local government headed by Atienza should waste no time in implementing City ordinance 8207, which provides for the immediate shutdown of oil depot operations in Pandacan, effective June 29, 2001.

Asilo earlier filed a graft complaint against Atienza for extending by another six months the Pandacan operational permits of the country’s major oil firms.

He pointed out that the depots are located in a highly populated area in Manila, which could be hit by disaster similar to the 1984 Mexican depot explosion that killed 600 people.

Meanwhile, the Alyansa Laban sa Salot na Oil Depot (ALIS Oil Depot) said thousands of families in Manila and nearby cities are being endangered by the continued operation of the facilities.

"We could be roasted to death if something goes wrong there," said group spokesman Leo Angelo-Lanuzo.