Microsoft Office Pro 2010 Senate panels want FPIC

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Two Senate committees are demanding that the First Philippine Industrial Corporation (FPIC) "appropriately" compensate the Makati residents who were affected by the pipeline leak at the West Tower Condominium in Makati City.

"It is but proper that the residents of West Tower Codominium and adjoining areas in Brgy. Bangkal, Makati City be appropriately compensated, in accordance with law and equity, for the damages they sustained," the Senate committees on environment and natural resources and health and demography said in a 25-page committee report obtained by GMA News Online.

The Senate committees explained that the residents of West Tower were "unceremoniously displaced" and were contsrained to search for temporary shelter at their own expense.



It likewise said that the condominium residents, along with others in the community, were exposed to safety risks and health hazards posed by fuel contamination and inhalation of gas substances.

"(They) were constrained to expend for unexpected medical services as a consequence of the above-mentioned health hazards," it said.

As of posting time, GMA News Online was still reaching FPIC for its comments.

But in November last year, FPIC officer-in-charge Anthony Mabasa had already issued an apology to the people affected by the pipeline leak.

He likewise assured the public that even though "ultimate liability" has yet been established, they are doing whatever they can to "compensate fairly" those affected and clean up any environmental contamination that the leakage may have caused.

Violations

The report said "appropriate action" must also be undertaken by concerned agencies because the FPIC pipeline leak "occasioned possible" violations of Republic Act 8749 or the Clean Air Act of 1999 and Republic Act 9275 or the Clean Water Act of 2004.

"The committees are convinced that there exists, in all probability, clear contraventions of pertinent provisions of RA 8749. The fuel leak... caused the emission of noxious gas substancees into the environment. The inhalation of the same by the residents of the affected areas poses a threat to the health in violation of their protected and recognized right to breathe clean air," it said.

"The committees are similarly convinced that there exists, in all probability, clear contraventions of pertinent provisions of RA 9725. Laboratory analysis of effluents conducted by the Environmental Management Bureau confirm the presence of effluents, in alarming levels,Office Pro, caused by the seepage of fuel substances in the soil of the affected areas," it added.

The panel said FPIC must therefore present a detailed and specific clean-up plan that must contain a definitive statement as to the steps and strategies to be taken which must be strictly followed and observed.

It added that the company should shoulder the expenses for the clean-up operations and reimburse the West Tower management for conducting the same.

Other recommendations

The Senate committees likewise said there is an "imperative need" to inspect the whole stretch of the the 117-kilometer pipeline.

The FPIC pipeline transports 60 percent of Metro Manila’s crude and refined petroleum needs from refineries in Batangas. Among the oil companies that use it to transport oil products are Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Chevron Corp.’s Caltex unit.

The report also said that there is a need to craft a legislation which will regulate oil and gas pipelines.

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who chairs the Senate environment committee, is expected to hold a press conference on the contents of the committee report later in the day. — GMA News