Tenants of West Tower in Makati evacuated

MANILA, Philippines – The West Tower on Osmeña Highway in Barangay Bangkal, Makati is like a “ticking bomb ready to explode anytime,” Makati Fire chief Samuel Tadeo said yesterday.

With this, Tadeo, along with the members of the Makati Disaster Coordinating Council recommended to Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr., to evacuate the 60 families or about 500 individuals residing near the West Tower.

Binay lost no time and accepted the recommendation of the Makati Disaster Coordinating Council and ordered the immediate evacuation to safer place of the residents of the West Tower and the estimated 10 families living near the West Tower.

In an interview, immediately after the emergency meeting yesterday of the Makati Disaster Coordinating Council at the new City Hall Building, Tadeo said the West Tower is now declared as “hot zone” until the leak of suspected petroleum is traced. “Yes, it’s like a ticking bomb ready to explode anytime. We already ordered the stoppage of electrical operations in the West Tower because through little spark, it might explode anytime. There is now a different environment in the basement four of the West Tower because of the presence of fumes. There is also continuous release of fuel in the area,” Tadeo said.

Tadeo said until presstime, they failed to trace the leak where the fuel could have been coming from.

The First Philippines Industrial Corp. headed by Engineer Efren Impreso, along with members of the Makati Fire Department started digging along the area to check whether the fuel is coming from the pipeline of the depot in Padacan which runs through Batangas, where the processed oil products, such as gasoline and diesel, among others are being transported through its pipeline.