Condo unit owner to file P30-M damage suit

MANILA, Philippines - A woman whose Two Serendra unit was destroyed by a powerful explosion on May 31, 2013 is set to file today a P30.2-million damage suit against three Ayala firms before the Pasig City justice hall, her lawyer Raymond Fortun said yesterday.

 Earlier, Fortun said Marianne Cayton sent a demand letter to the owner of the condominium to have the damaged unit replaced and pay P30 million in damages.

Fortun also refuted the findings revealed by Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas that negligence resulting in a gas leak caused the explosion.

Fortun described the findings cited by Roxas – who said the gas leak in Cayton’s unit was caused by the “unauthorized movement of gas range (which) caused a detachment of the gas supply hose – was “contrary to the evidence” that his client had willingly given to the DILG.

In her sworn statement submitted to the inter-agency task force, Cayton said the renovation of Unit 501-B did not touch the kitchen area and gas lines and that the Serendra management was aware of the renovation work, which involved adding another bedroom to the unit.

She also said the renovation was completed on May 28, 2013, two days before the explosion.

Cayton said a family friend, Angelito San Juan – who died from injuries sustained in the blast – had asked if he could use her condo unit from May 31, 2013 to June 8, 2013 since he would be attending a wedding. San Juan, 63, was earlier reported as a US-based software architect for a car manufacturer.

Cayton said she was in the United States, where she is based, when the explosion occurred.