Geologists locate source of gas leak in FPIC pipeline in Makati

Geologists located before dawn on Friday the source of a gas leak in the pipeline of the First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC) in Makati City. However, geologists said while the defective portion of the pipe can be repaired within the day, they still have to look for other possible defective portions. "Yung butas sa tubo 100 meters southeast of West Tower, along South Superhighway ... Kagabi pa, ngayon lang nahubaran nang buo ang tubo, ngayon lang nakita nang malinaw," Carlo Dayanghirang, one of the geologists working on the pipe since Thursday night, said in an interview on dzBB radio. (The defective part was found 100 meters southeast of West Tower, along South Superhighway. We had been working on this since Thursday night but it is only now that we saw the actual defective portion.) Dayanghirang said the valve had been closed before they found the defective portion. However, he said they are still not discounting the possibility that there may be other defective portions. Authorities discovered a leak at the basement of the West Tower condominium in July, but it was only on Thursday that excavation work around the area started. Vice-President and former Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay rushed to the area to get a firsthand look at the scene. "Wala tayong magagawa, kailangan ihinto muna ... pansamantala lang yan (We have no choice but to shut down the pipe for now. The closure is only temporary)," said Binay, father of incumbent Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. A separate report by dzBB's Roland Bola said police, firefighters and medical teams around the area remained on heightened alert. Traffic was snarled along part of the South Superhighway where the defective part was found before dawn Friday. FPIC also assured the public of its cooperation with authorities in locating the source of the petroleum seepage in the Bangkal area of Makati City. FPIC president Leonides Garde, in an interview on dzBB radio on Thursday, said “There will be a shortage of fuel in Manila for our motorists, commercial users and even our airplanes." The Lopez-owned firm supplies 50 to 60 percent of fuel used in Metro Manila, said Garde. FPIC owns the largest commercial oil pipeline in the country, transporting crude and refined petroleum products from Batangas to Metro Manila. FPIC's two pipelines, running underground, carry gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and aviation fuel from refineries in Batangas to oil terminals in Pandacan and in Parañaque. FPIC’s pipeline system consists of two main pipelines, one for the refined petroleum products (called the “white" line) and the other for heavier petroleum products (the “black" line). Two of FPIC's largest clients are oil giants Chevron Philippines and Pilipinas Shell. It was established in 1967 to service the fuel requirements of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) and oil refineries in Batangas. –VVP, GMANews.TV