Israeli security expert backs PNP’s gas blast findings

The huge explosion that destroyed the upscale Glorietta 2 shopping mall in Makati City last week was an accident, a leading Israeli security expert concluded yesterday.

David Nevo, a security and anti-terrorism expert invited to inspect the blast site, said there were no tell-tale signs that the explosion was deliberate, citing the absence of bomb fragments.

“It’s more likely that it was because of a gas explosion because of the type of damage (in the basement), which is also a closed volume,” said Nevo, managing director of Coraliss, a private Israeli security firm providing security services worldwide.

Nevo, who is also a consultant of an international firm hired by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to conduct a security audit of the NAIA Terminal III, was invited by the Philippine National Police (PNP) to conduct an independent survey of the blast site last Wednesday.

Nevo pointed out that after a suspected bomb explosion, “usually you can find traces of explosives in samples, even small traces.”

At the Glorietta 2, Nevo found no traces of explosives.

He said the extent of the damage was “typical of a gas blast,” pointing to the floors, concrete ceiling and the diesel tank at the basement.

“I think there was a leak of gas inside the basement, when mixed with oxygen and a spark, then it will blow up,” he said.

Nevo explained the dangerous mixture of volatile gases, including methane with oxygen in a “closed volume,” can cause an explosion so devastating that it could bring down an entire building.

“In a closed volume, when dangerous gases mix together with oxygen, then you have a spark, that can destroy a whole building. It is also possible that a blast like this can be more powerful than a bomb,” he said.

Nevo, a retired police chief superintendent with over 25 years of experience in security and anti-terror management, issued his observations unaware of the results of the laboratory tests on the sample residues found at the blast site.  

His observations supported the initial findings of PNP investigators.

Violations

Government occupational safety experts also affirmed PNP claims that last week’s explosion might have been accidental.

Florante Aguilan of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-National Capital Region (NCR) office said their initial assessment of the blast site stemmed from several violations of the building code and existing safety regulations.

“Based on our inspection, it appears that the sewer tank was not properly constructed that enabled methane to leak and accumulate,” Aguilan pointed out.

Aguilan said the gas tanks stored in the area where a septic tank was also located is a violation of safety regulations.

Aguilan said they submitted their recommendations and findings to the DOLE-NCR to prevent similar accidents from happening in other commercial establishments in the country.

Among the recommendations include the use of “explosive-proof” electrical devices in areas where the septic tank is located and places where gas tanks are kept.

Aguilan also stressed the need for every commercial establishment to abide by regulations on the proper construction of sewer tanks, appropriate ventilation as well as proper storage of gas tanks.

PNP chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. had stressed the blast was caused by a deadly reaction of methane coming into contact with diesel fumes at a poorly ventilated basement of the high-end mall.

Mall owner Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) had rejected the police findings, pointing out the sewage treatment facilities were in order. ALI also reminded authorities not to make hasty conclusions.

The findings of Nevo and the DOLE, however, went contrary to the claims of the mall owners.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also said there are indications that the explosion might have been an accident.

So far, “there is no evidence to suggest that it was a bomb explosion. The NBI, however, is not ruling out other angles or possibilities until such time that the investigation is completed,” NBI Deputy Director for Intelligence Services (DDIS) Ruel Lasala said.

Lasala added they found no traces of explosives at the scene, which should have characterized a possible terror attack.

Nevo, for his part, said he conferred with an Australian observer at the scene and they shared the same impression.

But he did not share his observations with the police investigators since he was there as an independent observer.

“They (other people) may think it is a terrorist attack, but I don’t think so,” Nevo said.

Five days after the blast, police have yet to recover any residue of explosives or components of a bomb from the site.

Nevo said there had been cases of gas explosions in Israel leaving extensive damage to buildings and commercial establishments that forced the Israeli government to conduct a check on their gas systems at least once a year.

Nevo suggested the same procedure should be enforced and implemented in the Philippines.

“There must be also special detectors, which would sound an alarm if ever there is leaking gas of any kind,” he said. – With Mayen Jaymalin, Evelyn Macairan, Pia Lee-Brago, Jose Rodel Clapano