Owner of condo unit damaged by blast sues Ayala companies

A section of Two Serendra condominium hit by an explosion in the upscale Bonifacio Global City. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The owner of the condominium unit at Two Serendra in Taguig City which was destroyed in an explosion last year filed on Monday a P30.2 million damage suit against three Ayala firms.

In a 24-page complaint filed at the Pasig Hall of Justice at around 9 a.m., Marianne O. Cayton, owner of Unit 501-B Two Serendra Condominium, took to task Alveoland Corp., Makati Development Corp., and Bonifacio Gas Corp. for, among others, “failing to ensure a mandatory safety precaution,’’ resulting in the blast that took place on May 31, 2013.

The blast killed one person and injured several others.

In her complaint, Cayton is asking the court to order the three companies to pay her actual damages in the form of a replacement of her fully furnished two-bedroom unit in another Ayala project with a market value of not less than P20 million or its cash equivalent.

She is also asking for P5 million moral damages, P5 million exemplary damages, and P200,000 in Attorney’s fees plus P5,000 for every court appearance and cost of suit.

Investigation conducted by Kroll Advisory Solutions Asia which was commissioned by government agencies to conduct the probe showed that the explosion was due to a gas leak.

Two Serendra uses a centralized piped-in LPG vapor supply system supplied by BGC to its units.

The complainant said “defendants failed to provide sufficient safeguards in the use of the said system.”

“The negligence becomes more apparent in the fact that on the fateful night of May 31, 2013, Kroll reported that the escaped LPG vapor remained undetected for approximately 13 hours of normal building occupancy,” Cayton, through her lawyer Raymond Fortun said, adding that in approving the installation of faulty designed LPG vapor delivery is in violation of the Fire Code of the Philippines.

Further citing Kroll report, Cayton said Two Serendra does not have a clear policy on the installation of safety measures nor does it have a system or equipment to determine if there is a leak from the system.

A family friend of the Cayton’s, Angelito San Juan died from the injuries sustained in the blast. He rented her condo from May 31, 2013 to June 8, 2013.