Two Serendra Unit 501-B tenant dies

MANILA, Philippines - Angelito San Juan, the 63-year-old tenant of Two Serendra Unit 501-B which was hit by a gas explosion last May 31 died early Thursday.

Lawyer Raymond Fortun, who is representing unit owner Mariane Cayton, said San Juan died at the intensive care unit of the St. Luke's Medical Center at the Bonifacio Global City at 12:20 a.m. due to multiple organ failure.

San Juan's death brings the blast's total death toll to four.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas earlier said the blast that hit the condominium unit was most likely caused by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

Just recently, Serendra Inc., developer of the Serendra condominiums, shut off the LPG supply to the One Serendra and Two Serendra condominiums.

Serendra Inc., an affiliate of Ayala Land Inc., admitted in a statement that it cannot "ensure the continuing compliance by individual unit owners with the required safety measures within their units."

"Serendra, Inc., developer of Serendra, has advised the Serendra Condominium Corporation that it strongly recommends a permanent closure of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) system. The developer also disclosed that its position is borne out of its inability to fully control and ensure the continuing compliance by individual unit owners with the required safety measures within their units," Serendra Inc. said in a statement.

"Mindful that its position may be unpopular and inconvenient for the Serendra community, the developer nonetheless considers the safety of the community as the paramount consideration for its recommendation," it added.

Jorge Marco, Ayala Land Inc. corporate communication head, had confirmed that the shutdown is indeed permanent and that unit owners are advised to shift to using electric stoves.

"Yes it is permanent. There was always an option to o electric," said Marco.

Marco added that the move to shut off the LPG supply was also in line with Roxas's for an LPG supply shut off and the conduct of a thorough check of the LPG system in the entire Serendra complex.

Last June 8, the LPG supply to One Serendra was cut to allow a thorough inspection and series of tests to ensure the safety and integrity of the system.

The supply to Two Serendra was shut off minutes after the explosion which killed three men and injured several others, including San Juan.

Fortun slammed Ayala Land for putting the blame on the unit owners.

"The legal implication is that Ayala itself is not confident in the gas system. They cannot put the blame on the unit owners to comply with the safety measures such as maintenance and working condition of gas detectors," Fortun said.

"As the building manager, Ayala has the authority and power to conduct periodic checks of these safety devices or demand compliance with them. Even government agencies have the power to conduct inspections, why not the building manager?" he added.

Fortun added that by encouraging unit owners to shift to using electric stoves, Ayala Land Inc. admits that their gas system is unreliable.

"By shifting to electric despite an ability to make periodic checks, Ayala impliedly admits that their gas system is unreliable and soiuld be shut down," he added.