MANILA, Philippines?Vice Mayor Francisco ?Isko Moreno? Domagoso of Manila yesterday used the final ruling of the Supreme Court on the Pandacan oil depots to bewail what he described as the inefficiency of former city mayor Lito Atienza.

The high court issued a final ruling on Thursday ordering the closure of the oil depots and finding as valid a city ordinance that reclassified Pandacan and Sta. Ana districts from industrial to commercial.

The ruling also reiterated its earlier order for three big oil firms to vacate the depots and relocate their storage facilities.

Moreno said Ordinance 8027, which was approved in 2001, was not implemented because then mayor Atienza and the Department of Energy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which in effect allowed the country?s three biggest oil firms?Chevron, Petron, and Shell?to continue operating their storage facilities indefinitely provided they scale down their operations and implement safety measures.

Moreno bewailed the fact that the city government is now being ordered to implement an ordinance which Atienza ?chose? not to enforce.

He pointed out that if only Atienza enforced the ordinance years ago, its negative impact on the would-be displaced workers and their dependents would have been cushioned as early as then.