Manila clergy renews call vs Pandacan depot

The Archdiocese of Manila on Friday reaffirmed its stand against the continued operation of the Pandacan oil depot, saying it remains a grave threat to residents and the environment.

In a statement issued days after former President Joseph Estrada took over as the city’s new mayor, the archdiocese voiced its concern over what it considered to be the lukewarm attitude shown by both the national and local governments on the issue.

“[We] are concerned that the national and local government units only act when actual oil spills occur,” it said.

Last month, a mini-depot at the site, the one owned by Larraine Marketing, was found to have released thousands of liters of bunker fuel into the Pasig River while emitting gas fumes that caused panic among residents.

At least four residents were hospitalized after experiencing difficulty in breathing. The oil spill also prompted an investigation by the city government.

“It is sad that action is only taken when damage has been done. What good governance urges are preventive action, sanction to the damaging company and more importantly, a propeople, propoor development plan for the 33-hectare (area) once the oil depots relocate,” it stressed.

Under the leadership of Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, the archdiocese is set to hold a series of activities starting Aug. 31 dubbed “Season of Creation,” which will promote environmental causes in seminaries, parishes and communities.

The archdiocese reiterated calls for the repeal of City Ordinance 8187 which classified Pandacan as an industrial zone, and for the strict enforcement of the Clean Water Act and Hazardous Waste Act.

In September last year, then Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim vetoed the ordinance which calls for the depot’s closure, saying the move might give a “bad impression” among businesses and investors.

The veto came a month after the council passed Ordinance 8283 reclassifying the area from being an industrial to a commercial zone and paving the way for the depot’s shutdown.

Lim said he based his decision on the recommendations of then city legal officer Renato de la Cruz and secretary to the mayor, Rafaelito Garayblas.

De la Cruz then explained that Ordinance 8283 failed to consider how the city would cope with the loss of income resulting from the depot’s closure and how its relocation would affect the fuel distribution system and even raise fuel prices in Metro Manila. With a report from Inquirer Research