CEBU, Philippines - A consumer group is asking Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas to rap the Bureau of Fire Protection-7 and a local government unit in Cebu for turning a blind eye on the alleged serious fire safety violations of a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) company.
The LPG facility of Petronas, which has a capacity to store over four million liters of gas, has reportedly been operating in the City of Naga without Fire Safety Inspection Certificate (FSIC) for almost two years now.
“And yet the local government of the City of Naga has issued quarterly ‘conditional’ Business Permits to the said facility,” said Jayson Luna of the National Coalition of Filipino Consumers (NCFC) in his letter to Roxas.
This, he said, is grossly irregular as the Fire Code of the Philippines is clear that no business and/or occupancy permit shall be issued without an FSIC.
Luna said the local government of Naga cannot justify this by saying it issued the permits to provide ease in doing business with investors in the city.
Since last year until now, Luna said, the LGU of Naga has been issuing quarterly ‘conditional’ business permits to the plant, which he said is not just blatantly illegal, but also ridiculous.
“LPG used as cooking gas by millions of Filipino households is very much a consumer issue that Mr. Palengke(Roxas) should address,” Luna said.
The BFP, Luna further said, has been “lamely watching by the sidelines this blatant disregard to public safety,” adding that it has refused to issue even a notice to comply or notice of violation to the Petronas plant.
The NCFC said BFP is instead trying to wash its hands, claiming it cannot act on the matter because of a pending case between Petronas and Pryce Gases, Inc.
The case pertains to the failure of the Petronas facility to observe safety distance requirements for its LPG tanks as provided for by the Fire Code and its implementing rules and regulations.
“While we do not have anything to do with the case of Petronas and Pryce Gases, we strongly believe that the substance of the law, which is primarily to protect public safety, is supreme over the flimsy procedural excuse by the BFP,” the NCFC said.
The NCFC said it has taken this advocacy after the Kentex tragedy last May in Valenzuela City, which claimed the lives of at least 72 persons. The Kentex factory was reportedly operating without an FSIC.—(FREEMAN)