Closure of Pandacan oil depot worries residents

Despite the promise of a safer environment for residents of Manila, particularly the Pandacan area, officials of the six barangays (villages) surrounding the oil depot still have apprehensions regarding the impending closure of the facility which has employed a lot of residents.

Officials from Barangays  830, 848, 833, 834, 835 and 836 voiced out these concerns  during a dialogue with Mayor Joseph Estrada last week in which he revealed that the dismantling of the oil depot occupied by Petron Corp., Chevron Philippines and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., may be completed by January.

“We’re very sad because it means [fewer] jobs for our constituents. The oil depot has [been a source of] a steady stream of jobs for skilled workers over the years and now, they will have to find other jobs,” Purisima Albasin, chair of Barangay 830, said.

She declined to give an estimate of the number of residents who would end up unemployed but said that her barangay was promoting the offer of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) to conduct vocational courses for people looking for new skills.

“Many of our constituents are also professionals who have jobs outside the oil depot but in our barangay, we are taking preemptive measures such as the Tesda skills retraining to soften the blow of the departure of the oil depot,” she said.

“The oil depot has greatly helped our barangay over the years. We did not receive money from them but the oil companies have given materials and helped us in implementing projects, including a materials recovery facility. They have also been providing scholarships for our children,” she added.

For his part, Orlando Reyes, chair of Barangay 833, hoped that the dismantling of the oil tanks and facilities at the depot would be done safely.

“Our constituents are worried that the oil companies would rush to dismantle their facilities to meet the January 2016 deadline [and] disregard health and safety regulations,” he said.

Meanwhile, residents of an informal settler community in Barangay 836, just outside the walls of the oil depot, were worried that they would be displaced once the facility closes down.

“Some of my constituents, informal settlers who live just outside the walls of the Petron compound in the oil depot, are worried that the removal of the oil depot would also mean their houses would be demolished. There are about 800 families living there on land owned by the Philippine National Railways,” said Barangay 836 chair Santos Uy.

He noted that many Presidents had promised to award titles to the residents although nothing came out of these.

In reaction, Estrada said that the city government would look into this issue.

“We will look for the best solution to this issue. If needed, we will follow up with the President your concerns,” he told them.