Expert warns of Pandacan disaster

A large part of Manila, including Malacañang Palace, is in danger of being obliterated in case of an accidental explosion at the Pandacan oil depot.

This was the warning aired by Aidan Tasker-Lynch, an Irish expatriate and an expert on disaster management, who conducted a study on the effects of petrochemical industries on the population.

Tasker-Lynch likened the possible devastation of Manila to the incident in Mexico City in 1984 where more than 600 people perished after a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) plant accidentally ignited and exploded. Some 700,000 residents were also evacuated as a result of the accident.

"The Mexico tragedy would pale in comparison with what will happen in Manila in case the Pandacan oil depot explodes," Tasker-Lynch said.

The Pandacan oil depot is the supply center of the Big Three oil companies–Pilipinas Shell, Petron Corp. and Caltex Phils.– for their fuel products. Besides volatile gasoline, the depot also stores highly combustible chemicals such as diesel, aviation gas, kerosene, petroleum distillates and LPG in their tank farms.

According to Tasker-Lynch, the people who died in the Mexico tragedy were living outside the one-kilometer safety radius of the explosion site. This means that there were no people living around the LPG plant which was built outside the city proper, within a radius of one kilometer.

However, Tasker-Lynch noted that the Pandacan oil depot is situated right in the middle of the city where residents have built houses even beside the perimeter fence of the oil depot.

"This is suicidal. Accidents are likely to occur anytime. No high-tech gadgets can prevent an accident from happening," the Irish expatriate, who has a Filipina nurse for a wife, commented.

He also feared that terrorist acts, such as bombings employed by urban rebels make the Pandacan oil depot more prone to a disastrous explosion.

Tasker-Lynch figures a the Pandacan oil depot explosion could result in a two-kilometer radius of devastation that would reach up to Malacañang Palace.

"Fire could even travel through the Pasig River since gasoline and its derivatives are lighter than water. This could result in a monstrous catastrophe in terms of lives and properties lost," he added.

Tasker-Lynch also noted that the swath of devastation could increase tenfold owing to the poor firefighting capabilities of Manila firemen.