Gov’t asks Bonifacio Gas to explain Serendra blast

MANILA, Philippines – What caused the gas-led explosion in Serendra Two, a posh building in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig?

This is what the government agencies want Bonifacio Gas Corp, the exclusive supplier of piped-in gas in Global City, to explain.

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla said the Department of Interior and the Local Government (DILG) has written to Bonifacio Gas seeking inputs on the possible reasons behind the explosion that rocked Two Serendra condominium last May 31.

On Friday, June 7, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said in a press briefing that gas caused the explosion at the Two Serendra that killed 3 and left 4 injured on May 31.

Bonifacio Gas is a joint venture between Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp.

Incorporated in 1998, Bonifacio Gas Corp. operates an underground pipeline network that provides a centralized gas distribution system within the Global City.

Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. tapped Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. as the joint venture partner in Bonifacio Gas because of its experience in doing piped gas installations in the Philippines.

Shell is only a minority shareholder in Bonifacio Gas, according to Bobby Kanapi, Pilipinas Shell vice president for communications, said when asked to comment.

Investigation

The Department of Energy will not conduct a separate investigation, Petilla said. The DILG is leading the probe.

“We cannot have several agencies investigating the incident otherwise it will be chaos. The lead agency is DILG. What DILG is doing is to employ independent forensic experts rather than rely on explanations
given by local parties involved,” Petilla said.

Industry players, for their part, have offered their assistance to the government. Isla LPG chief operating officer Ramon Del Rosario said they are assisting the government.

“We are assisting the government in the investigation. They requested for some assistance,” del Rosario told reporters on the sidelines of the Industry Emergency Response 2013 safety forum on Friday, June 7. Del Rosario said this is the first time that such an incident happened.

Del Rosario stressed that despite the incident, piped-in LPG remains safe. – Rappler.com