Lim to veto oil depot ordinance

MANILA, Philippines - Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim vowed yesterday to veto a draft city ordinance seeking to allow the retention of the Pandacan oil depot.

Speaking to reporters at Manila City Hall, Lim said he was not consulted about the proposed ordinance, which is still pending at the Manila City Council.

“I also stated if the draft (Ordinance 7177) reaches my table and I see that it contravenes the ruling of the Supreme Court, then I will veto it,” he said.

“Attempts to link me to the issue on the city ordinance reclassifying the land use of the portions of land where Pandacan oil depots are located, into a commercial zone and implicitly granting the big three oil companies their continued operation in the area, are so dubious in terms of timing and intent, not to mention very misleading in content,” Lim added.

Lim said Ordinance 8027, passed on Nov. 20, 2001; the memorandum of understanding between the Department of Energy and the City of Manila extending the period of their stay at the Pandacan oil depot for another six months; and Ordinance 8119, passed in June 2006, further extending the oil firms’ stay to seven years were approved by his predecessor, now Environment Secretary Lito Atienza.

“To briefly discuss the above-mentioned ordinances authored and passed by then and now Councilors Joy Dawis-Asuncion, Ma. Lourdes ‘Bonjay’ Isip-Garcia, Manuel Zarcal, who are now acting as saviors and crusaders of the issue, which in truth and in fact have been created by themselves, it would be deemed that their crusade to stop the oil depots now is in conflict with what they have proposed and passed during the previous administration,” he said.

Lim said draft Ordinance 7177 was meant to benefit other companies like Philippine Match Co. (Phimco) Industries, Inc., Unilever Philippines, San Miguel Gas Plant, Manila Plastic Co.

Philmco made the request initially to be granted to stay in Manila, he added.

Lim said the big three oil companies were mentioned to create a big controversy.

Lim said Ordinance 8027 reclassified certain portions of Pandacan and Punta, Sta. Ana from industrial to commercial, and owners of industrial firms were given six months to move out.

Civil society group sues Manila dads

The civil society group Social Justice Society (SJS) filed yesterday an administrative complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against the 20 Manila councilors who supported draft Ordinance 7177.

The complainants are SJS legal counsel Vladimir Alarique Cabigao, Rhodele Gabac, Joel Escandor, Aida Martija, all officers and members of Advocates for Environmental and Social Justice.

The SJS sued Manila Councilors Arlene Koa, Ernesto Dionisio, Erick Ian Nieva, Moises Lim, Jesus Fajardo, Rolando Valeriano, Carlo Lopez, Ernesto Isip Jr., John Martin Nieto, Edward Maceda, Victoriano Melendez, Maria Sheilah Lacuna-Pangan, Louisito Chua, Josefina Siscar, Raymund Yupangco, Roderick Valbuena, Luciano Veloso, Danilo Victor Lacuna Jr., Salvador Philip Lacuna and John Russel Benedict Ibay.

The complainants said that on March 5, Koa filed with the city council a draft ordinance seeking to amend Ordinance 8027 by reverting to industrial classification the land use of the Pandacan oil depot.

The complainants said Ordinance 8027 was already upheld by the Supreme Court as a valid exercise of the police power of the city government.

The draft ordinance was passed on second reading by all the respondents on March 19, the complaint added.

“The foregoing act of respondents, of circumventing the (Supreme Court’s) decision by enacting an amending ordinance to Ordinance 8027, was made in bad taste and in bad faith,” read the complaint.

The petitioners said they requested for official transcripts of the proceedings but were never provided with copies.