FPIC admits pipeline problem has existed since 1983

The First Philippine Industrial Corporation (FPIC) on Monday admitted that their 40-year-old pipeline has been having problems as far back as 1983, when they had to put a "patch" on the oil pipe. FPIC officer-in-charge Anthony Mabasa, however, clarified during Monday's Senate hearing that the patch on the pipeline was not a repair but a "preventive measure" installed by their company in 1983. He likewise said that the vibrations from the vehicles passing through the Magallanes flyover are the most probable cause for the holes in one part of the pipeline. The holes caused a petroleum leak at the basement of the West Tower Condominium in Makati City. "It would appear that it has deteriorated with stresses," he said. Mabasa said that they completed the repairs on the pipeline last week and that the welded sections have passed testing by a third-party specialist. Carlos Arcilla, director of the University of the Philippines National Institute of Geological Sciences, admitted that there is a possible "spatial correlation" between the holes and the stress caused by the Magallanes flyover on the pipelines. "There are no leaks yet found (in the pipeline) outside the flyover and Bangkal areas," he said during the hearing. The 117-kilometer 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 and Chevron Corp.’s Caltex unit. Not possible? However, West Tower Condominium Corporation vice president Manuel Chua Unsu refused to believe that vibrations caused the leaks. He likewise questioned why the FPIC allegedly did not monitor the condition of the patch. "How often have they checked that patch? Maybe they would have seen the leak sooner," he said after the hearing. Arcilla said that fuel continues to leak under the West Tower condominium because the sand below the soil and concrete where the building is standing has become a reservoir of oil. "(It) became the collection point. This is the danger we cannot overemphasize," he said. Arcilla suggested that the Makati government commission capture wells to determine the extent of the leak in other areas. Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, chairman of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, said they will not allow the opening of the pipeline until all the necessary tests have been finished. He said the Senate committee will inspect the area this week to make sure that everything is in order, and prepare the committee report after the inspection. Apology not accepted Earlier in the day, the FPIC issued an apology to all those who were affected by the oil leak. However, residents of West Tower who were present during the Senate hearing did not accept the company's apology. "It's all superficial, plastik talaga. Lahat ng sinabi nila dun siguro 20 percent lang ang totoo (They were not sincere at all. Probably only 20 percent of what they said was true)," said Ruby Chua Unsu, who has been living in the condominium for 12 years. She added that the FPIC seems to be "dividing and conquering" the West Tower residents by offering them P100,000 each for the damages caused by the oil leak. "Ano yan limos? Bigay nila yan sa squatter matutuwa. Pero hindi naman kami mga taga-squatter. (What's that, charity? If they give that to squatter residents, maybe they would be happy. But we're not like them)," she said. For Cris Ricafort, who has children living in the condominium, the FPIC's apology is all talk. "(Maybe) they're sincere... but there's nothing concrete I feel, it's just all words right now," she said. Earlier, the West Tower residents filed a petition for writ of kalikasan (nature) before the Supreme Court against 45 officials of the FPIC, asking for the permanent shut down and replacement of the damaged pipeline. - VVP, GMANews.TV