P100-M Bataan plastic plant burned
BALANGA CITY, Philippines – A fire of still unknown origin razed a plastic bag manufacturing firm which destroyed about P100 million worth of expensive and modern technology machineries, raw materials and finished products located inside the huge complex of the Authority of Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB), former Bataan Economic Zone (BEZ) in Mariveles town, Bataan on Wednesday afternoon.
Superintendent Joel Tampis, Mariveles police chief, told The STAR that Philpack Industries Inc., the largest plastic factory operating at AFAB, situated in Barangay Maligaya, Mariveles town was temporarily closed since the Holy Week while waiting for the arrival of raw materials from foreign suppliers. The fire reportedly started at about 3:30 p.m.
Tampis said seven fire fighting trucks from AFAB, Mariveles, Limay and Balanga City Bureau of Fire Protection rushed to the scene to put out the fire at 11 p.m., or eight hours after the blaze reportedly broke out. No one was injured in the incident.
Rolando Uy, plant manager of Philpack Industries Inc. said the fire might have been caused by a firecracker which accidentally fell to the company’s printing machinery that ignited the highly-combustible chemicals.
He said the 80 employees of the 1,000 square meter floor area plant are still on vacation when the fire accident occurred.
Uy said their machines alone used in producing sando bags for export to the United States cost more than a million pesos each.
The Filipino-Chinese firm had been with the BEZ, recently turned into the AFAB, since 1978. – With Ric Sapnu
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