Serendra LPG system permanently shut

Following last month’s explosion at Two Serendra in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, caused by a gas leak, the developer of the condominium has decided to permanently shut down the piped-in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) system to residential units in the building, as well as in the adjacent One Serendra.

The recommendation to shut down the centralized LPG system was made by Serendra Inc., developer of the posh condominiums, and announced by Ayala Land Inc., a shareholder of the company, in a meeting with Serendra Condominium Corp.’s board of trustees on June 27.

In a circular distributed among condo residents on June 28, a copy of which was given to the Inquirer, the developer said it would replace “current gas appliances [with] electric models on a like-for-like basis.”

It also informed residents that a unit-to-unit inspection would be conducted by Serendra Inc. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting on June 29 to take note of “the make and model of … current gas-powered appliances” to be replaced.

In a statement yesterday, the developer said it had strongly recommended the permanent closure of the LPG system as it was unable to “fully control and ensure the continuing compliance [of] individual unit owners with the required safety measures …”

“Mindful that its position may be unpopular and inconvenient for the Serendra community, the developer nonetheless considers the safety of the community as the paramount consideration for its recommendation,” it added.

In a television interview on Tuesday, Raymond Fortun, lawyer of Marianne Cayton, the owner of Unit 501-B where the explosion occurred, noted that the gas shutdown and the shift to electric stoves create “the impression that they are not confident in their own system.”

“No results have come out saying their system is faulty,” he said, referring to an ongoing investigation into the source of the gas leak which caused the explosion.

Fortun added that the gas may have come from outside his client’s unit as the gas bills from December to April showed “zero usage of gas.” The May bill was never sent to his client, he said.

On May 31, an explosion occurred in Unit 501-B of Two Serendra which killed three people and injured at least five, including the tenant of the unit at the time.

Authorities later determined that the blast was caused by a gas leak although the source has yet to be determined.