Cops cordon off blast site in Cavite town

MANILA, Philippines - As they resumed retrieval operations at ground zero Friday, police cordoned off from scavengers and kibitzers what remained of a fireworks factory in Trece Martires City in Cavite. Trece Martires City police head Superintendent Hernando Galang said several scavengers had tried to get inside the compound of Starmaker fireworks factory to get metal scraps. "Ang kumukuha ng debris na bakal ay pinagbabawal namin especially sa restricted area (We will not allow these scavengers to get inside the restricted area and take metal scraps)," Galang said in an interview on dzXL radio. He said they had to halt retrieval operations Thursday night due to reports of fireworks inside the compound still exploding. At least five people were confirmed killed while several others were injured in Thursday's blast that hit the Starworks compound. Police theorized a test gone awry triggered the blast that destroyed the compound and caused damage to buildings as far as two kilometers away. Meanwhile, Galang said classes in schools in the city were to resume at all levels Friday. Collateral damage According police early Friday, the blast caused more than P3 million in "collateral damage" alone. Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon regional police head Chief Superintendent Perfecto Palad gave the estimate even as provincial police officials vowed justice for the victims. "Ang damage sa Capitol ay nasa P2.6 million, basag ang salamin. Ang isang hospital na-bless last week nasa P700,000 ang damage (Damage to the City Hall one kilometer away is already P2.6 million for the shattered glass alone. A nearby hospital that was blessed only last week incurred P700,000 in damage to property)," Palad said in an interview on dzRH radio early Friday. He also said Cavite governor Ireneo Maliksi ordered the local police and the provincial disaster coordinating council to determine criminal and civil liabilities of the factory owner. Earlier, Palad said Salvador Tan, owner of the Starworks fireworks factory, faces a slew of charges for the incident. "Yan ang pinag-uutos. Pinapaalam ni governor ang criminal and civil liability (That was the governor's order. He wants us to determine Tan's criminal and civil liability)," he said. Citing reports reaching him, Palad said the incident may have stemmed from three 20-footer container vans containing the fireworks. For his part, Cavite provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Hernando Zafra said the "official" death toll remained at five as of Friday morning. In an interview with dwIZ radio, Zafra also said they will hold consultations with post-blast investigators. "Ang inasahan para maprotekta ang nasaktan, magkaroon ng katarungan kung may negligence sa management or ownership of the company para mabigyan ng hustisya kung may gross negligence (We want to protect those who were injured and give justice to the victims. We want to determine if there was negligence on the part of management or ownership)," he said. On the other hand, Zafra said he cannot give the names of the fatalities unless confirmed by the scene-of-the-crime operations (SOCO) unit. He said, the area manager identified the bodies but we cannot take his word for it. The bodies sustained too much damage to be identified. Zafra also said that as of early Friday morning, several parts of the city were still without power. - GMANews.TV