Next to inferno waiting to happen, Pandacan residents feel safe

PANDACAN, Manila -- For all of her life, Baby Santos has lived near a potential catastrophe. As far back as she can remember, huge fuel storage tanks have cast their shadows over her congested neighborhood, and the stench of gasoline has assailed her nostrils. Yet Santos, 57, insists she’s felt perfectly safe living near the controversial Pandacan oil depot. “Ligtas naman dito. Dito na ako pinanganak at lumaki. Matagal na ‘yang mga ‘yan pero wala namang nangyayaring masama," (It’s safe here. I was born and raised here. They’ve been there for a long time and nothing bad has happened) said Santos, who owns a food stall outside one of the oil terminals. The sense of complacency that Santos shares with other residents interviewed here makes emergency experts shudder. They have long warned that the site of the country’s largest oil depot is just an accident or act of sabotage away from becoming the mother of infernos. Next to an earthquake, a conflagration here could be the deadliest disaster befalling the nation’s capital region. The depot is also near Malacañang and several schools where throngs of students attend classes. “We are talking here of about thousands initially killed and a hundred thousand injured. The oil companies can say their oil terminals are safe, but no oil depot is safe with the public living beside its walls," said Aidan Tasker-Lynch, executive director of the Philippine Society of Emergency Medical Technicians. He has been calling for the relocation of the oil depot since 1991. The disaster response expert also said that the area near the oil depot lacks adequate fire fighting services and emergency medical services, making residents more vulnerable to any disaster from the oil terminals. “The best way to avoid disaster is to take action before it happens. There are only two options: you either move the oil depot or move the entire Manila to safety," he said. Amended ordinance The fear of such accidents prompted former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza to sign Ordinance 8027 in 2001 ordering the relocation of the oil depot. In a ruling released last May, the Supreme Court ordered the local government of Manila to implement the ordinance and move for the immediate closure of the oil depot. But only weeks after the Supreme Court ruling was released, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim overturned his predecessor’s ordinance and allowed the continued operation of the oil depot through his own city ordinance. The amended ordinance in 2009 repealed the 2001 ordinance and, in effect, voided the high court’s ruling. Lim cited the provision of more than 10,000 jobs in the area and some P100 million-worth of annual tax revenues to the local government of Manila from the depot’s operations as the basis for the new ordinance. "Ang desisyon, kung alin ang magagawa nating kabutihan sa nakararami (I based my decision on the greatest good for the greatest number). That's the essence of democracy, the greater good for the greatest number," he said in an earlier interview on dzRH radio. Lim’s action sparked protests by a coalition of forces that include bishops, students, environmental groups, and other local officials. It also exacerbated tensions between Lim and Atienza, who is now secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Lim defeated Atienza’s son Ali in the last Manila mayoral election. Good neighbors The opponents of the depot all profess a concern for the safety of the residents here that is not echoed by the residents themselves. “Magmula nang magkaisip ako, never kong nasaksihan ang isang major disaster na dulot ng tatlong oil depots. (Since childhood, I’ve never seen a major disaster caused by the three oil depots) Let’s not borrow fear from the future," said Chairman Orlando Reyes of Barangay 833, the village nearest the Shell oil depot. Reyes, who has also lived in the area his entire life, said he supports Mayor Lim’s decision to let the oil terminals stay in their area because this is what his constituents want, and he thinks that an explosion of the oil depot is very unlikely. Like others here, the barangay chairman cites the assistance the oil companies provide residents through their community relations programs. “Marami silang mga tulong na pinagkakaloob sa mga constituents natin dito. Halimbawa livelihood programs at scholarships. Kapag Christmas season, halos karamihan ng mga residente dito na may pamilya, binibigyan nila ng package," he said. (They provide a lot of assistance to our constituents, such as livelihood programs and scholarships. During Christmas, most families here get a package.) The depot, a 36-hectare cluster of harbor tanks containing 330.5 million liters of gasoline, crude oil and other flammable substances, was built in Pandacan in the 1910s by the “Big 3" oil companies: Chevron (then Caltex), Pilipinas Shell, and Petron Corporation (then Esso). At present, the Pandacan oil depot supplies around 1,800 retail stations in Metro Manila and outlying provinces. The oil depot is also said to supply around half of the country’s total demand for fuel and other petrochemical products. Public safety vs. economic gains The population gradually grew around it, with many people living in tightly spaced shanties that are kindling to a fire. Like other companies that pose risks to the environment, the Big 3 invest heavily in good neighborly relations. To the over 80,000 residents living within the vicinity of the depot, danger is a normal, daily part of life. Tank trucks with highly combustible cargo rumble through the crowded streets of Pandacan, risking a firestorm in case of a crash. In January of 2008, a tanker truck exploded on a busy street in Manila, killing two people and causing extensive damage to property. Residents cite the fire brigades of the oil companies as an assurance that nothing can go wrong in their area. “Nagkasunog kami ng apat na barangay dati diyan. Wala namang nangyari. May kanya-kanyang mga bumbero naman ‘yang mga ‘yan. Nagpa-fire drill sila kaya nare-resolbahan naman," long-time resident Baby Santos said. Santos was referring to a fire in 1988, which swept through four barangays adjacent to the oil depot. The fire brigade of the oil companies responded to prevent the fire from reaching the oil terminals. Fires have actually occurred in areas near the depot, but never from the depot. For 58-year-old pedicab driver Ernesto Solemnidad of Barangay 836, he would rather risk living in the shadow of a major disaster than lose his job in the city, a sentiment shared by most of the residents there. “Pwede namang nandiyan lang ‘yang mga ‘yan. Nandiyan ‘yong trabaho. Kung tatanggalin mo ‘yan, paano na ang hanapbuhay ng mga tao?" he said. (We should allow the oil terminals to stay. The jobs are there. If you remove them, what will happen to the livelihood of the people?) The oil depot issue highlights the persistent question of how much danger to the public the local community and government leaders will tolerate in exchange for economic gains. The question applies to those who choose to live next to the depot or along railroad tracks to be near their jobs, as well as to local governments that welcome controversial mining projects because of the promises of a livelihood windfall. Manila Councilor Bonjay Isip-Garcia, a prominent opponent of the depot, said the issue revolves around the safety of the people and the environment, not about economic gains or how much the oil companies would spend for the relocation of their terminals. She has been working for the repeal of Mayor Lim’s new pro-depot ordinance. “Ang ordinansang ito ay gagawing ‘toxic capital’ ang Maynila. Kung hindi natin papatayin ang Ordinansa 8187, tayo ang papatayin niyan sa lungsod ng Maynila," she said. (This ordinance will make Manila the ‘toxic capital’ [of the country]. If we do not kill Ordinance 8187, it will kill us in the city of Manila) – GMANews.TV