‘Condo blast should prod Congress to pass LPG bill’

MANILA, Philippines - A party-list lawmaker is pushing for the approval of legislation that would ensure the safe use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

The Two Serendra explosion in Bonifacio Global City, which killed three persons, should prompt Congress to pass the bill entitled, “An Act Establishing the Regulatory Framework for the Conduct of Business and the Safe Operations of the LPG Industry,” Rep. Arnel Ty of LPG Marketers Association said yesterday.

“LPG is now being delivered and consumed in ways that 10 or 15 years ago were unheard of. In the interest of public safety, we have to upgrade and make applicable laws responsive,” he added. “We should not wait for more people to be killed or harmed in LPG-related disasters.”

Approved by the 55-member House trade and industry committee in the 15th Congress, of which Ty is a member, the bill sets comprehensive and rigorous standards for the safe storage, refilling, distribution, transportation, and consumption of LPG.

The measure requires owners or operators of every LPG installation, including centralized underground pipelines, to obtain and renew annually a highly improved standard compliance certificate to be issued by the Department of Energy.

The certificate would attest that the installation has fully complied with the safety rules and regulations prescribed by the DOE and other agencies.        

Investigators of the Two Serendra blast have theorized that it was caused by LPG leak.

Bonifacio Global City (BGC), a private enclave owned by Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) subsidiary Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. (FBDC), has a centralized underground pipeline system that delivers cooking gas to residential, office and commercial buildings.

Bonifacio Gas Corp., a joint venture between FBDC and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., built, operates and maintains BGC’s LPG distribution system.

Ty said two Ayala Land sister companies – Ayala Life Assurance and BPI/MS Insurance Corp. – are among the stockholders of Pilipinas Shell, which has a refinery here that produces LPG. 

“Centralized piped-in LPG systems can be operated harmlessly, provided these are built and maintained based on safety standards. In fact, many urban districts around the world run on piped gas networks,” he said.