Owner of condo in Serendra blast seeks P30.2M in damages

(Updated 5:24 p.m.) The owner of the Two Serendra condominium unit from which an explosion killed four people last year is seeking P30.2 million in damages from the building's developer and two other companies.

Unit owner Marianne Cayton Castillo has filed charges against Alveo Land Corporation, Bonifacio Gas Corporation and Makati Development Corporation for alleged negligence which resulted in the blast. Alveo Land is a subsidiary of Ayala Land, Inc.

The complaint was filed before the Pasig regional trial court. In a text message to GMA News Online, lawyer Raymond Fortun said the Pasig Clerk of Court receives complaints for Taguig courts.

According to a report on GMA News TV's “Balita Pilipinas,” one proof of negligence was the use of substandard equipment for the condominium's piping system—one reason the gas leak was not immediately detected.

The complaint was based on the result of an investigation conducted by the Department of Interior and Local Government, the report said.

Cayton Castillo was in the US when the blast occurred on the evening of May 31, 2013. The occupant of the unit at the time, Angelito San Juan, was injured. He died in a hospital two months later.

The other fatalities were killed instantly when the van they were riding in was crushed by a slab of cement that fell from a blasted wall.

Earlier, Dindo Fernando, spokesperson for Serendra Inc., said in a statement that the management is confident that it has followed government regulations.

"While we note the findings in the report relative to the leak detection devices and the unauthorized access to the shut off valve, we are confident that government regulations and standards have been complied with in the design and operation of Serendra," he said.

"Regarding the proposed improvements in these standards, we will work with the government and adhere to any change in regulations," Fernando said.

"Once again, we wish to express our regret over the incident. The conclusion of the IATF investigation will allow us to expedite the conduct of repairs and restoration of the damaged building so that the affected residents can return to their units at the soonest possible time," he added. — Amita O. Legaspi and Mark Merueñas/BM/HS, GMA News