EDITORIAL - Danger zone

It started as a gas leak in July, with residents of the West Tower condominium in Bangkal, Makati driven away from their homes by the sickening stench but unable to detect the source. From the start, however, suspicion focused on an underground gas pipeline that might have sprung a leak.

After initial denials, the company operating the 120-kilometer-long pipeline that runs from Batangas to the oil depot in Pandacan, Manila has acknowledged that the West Tower fumes came from an oil leak in the pipeline. Preliminary repairs on the leak, conducted by pipeline operator First Philippine Industrial Corp., led to the shutdown of the southbound lane of the South Luzon Expressway in Magal-lanes. The shutdown caused horrendous traffic jams in recent days in Makati, Pasay and Manila. The problem eased slightly as the road section was reopened to light vehicles. The danger posed by the pipeline leak, however, persists. The leak has also disrupted fuel supply in certain areas of Metro Manila.  

FPIC has apologized to the public and has promised to exercise corporate responsibility in dealing with the problem. The company has said the pipeline is several decades old - all the more reason, as far as critics of FPIC are concerned, that the pipeline should have undergone stringent regular maintenance. The gas leak at West Tower at least did not lead to a worse disaster.

FPIC is bracing for a possible class action suit to be filed by residents who have suffered from the gas leak. This incident should serve as a reminder of the need to maintain the highest standards of safety in industrial operations. Is there a horrific accident waiting to happen along that 120-kilometer pipeline? FPIC must make sure there won’t be one.