DOE won't rush reopening of FPIC pipeline for Christmas holiday

The Department of Energy (DOE) on Monday dismissed suggestions to speed up the testing of the First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC) fuel pipeline so that it can be reopened in time for the Christmas holidays. Energy Undersecretary Jay Layug said they are still testing the FPIC pipeline for possible leaks, and do not want to rush the procedure lest it prove harmful in the long run. “Ang ginagawa namin ngayon sa DOE, tine-testing ang pipeline. Sinisigurado sa publiko may balanse ang supply at pangangailangang buksan ito. Ayaw namin madaliin ang pag-testing para masigurado pag buksan hindi mangyayari ang nangyari na," Layug said in an interview on dwIZ radio. (What we are doing now is testing the pipeline. We want to balance the need to ensure fuel supply and reopening the pipeline. However, we do not want to hurry the testing because we do not want the leak to happen again.) He also declined to give a timetable on when the FPIC pipeline can be reopened, saying it is also up to the Supreme Court. “Depende na rin yan sa Korte Suprema, kailangan sila makumbinsi ma-lift ang writ of kalikasan (It depends on the Supreme Court. It has to be convinced to lift the writ of kalikasan)," he said. The FPIC pipeline was closed in late October on orders of the Makati City government, after the pipeline was found to be the source of an oil seepage detected at a condominium. In November, the Supreme Court issued a writ of kalikasan ordering the closure of the pipeline because of its potential hazard to the environment. The closure also affected the operations of oil firms Shell Philippines and Chevron, which use the FPIC pipeline to transport oil from their refineries in Batangas to their depots in Pandacan, Manila. Layug said the DOE is helping the affected firms by giving their trucks exemption from a truck ban in Metro Manila. “Ginagawa namin ang lahat na ginagawa (We are doing what we can)," he said. – VVP, GMANews.TV