FPIC welcomes SC ruling on bunker pipeline

MANILA, Philippines -  The First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC), owner of a leaking oil and petroleum pipeline that has affected portions of Barangay Bangkal in Makati City, welcomed yesterday a decision of the Supreme Court (SC) allowing the reopening of the 105-kilometer (km) black oil pipeline (BOPL) and exclude it from the writ of kalikasan that shut down the firm’s pipelines in October 2010.

The Department of Energy (DOE) had asked the high court to clarify whether it was the FPIC’s BOPL or its 117-km white oil pipeline (WOPL) – which transports refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel and kerosene from Batangas to Pandacan in Manila – that is covered by the writ.

In its decision, the SC said the writ of kalikasan and temporary environmental protection order it issued last year only covered the WOPL system.

“We welcome the SC resolution to the DOE’s earlier request to validate the exclusion” of the BOPL from the writ, FPIC president Tony Mabasa said in a statement.

Last April 15, Supreme Court Associate Justice Velasco conducted an ocular inspection of the WOPL in Barangay Bangkal and found no new leaks despite allegations by occupants of the West Tower Condominium and barangay residents.

Meanwhile, the FPIC assured the affected residents that its remediation contractor, CH2MHill, will continue to recover oil and petroleum products from at least 16 recovery wells with special submersible pumps. This provisional remediation strategy will be in place until the multi-phase extraction system equipment arrives in September, the firm said. 

According to FPIC, the remediation team estimates to recover approximately half of the leaked products by this year, and the remaining half over a period of three years.