At least 2 dead due to ammonia leak at Navotas ice plant

At least two people died following the ammonia leak at an ice plant in Navotas City, Mayor Toby Tiangco said on Thursday, February 4.

In posts on his official Facebook page, the mayor identified the casualties as Gilbert Tiangco, who died on Wednesday, February 3; and electrician Joselito Jazareno, who died on Thursday.

Both victims are employees of the TP Marcelo Ice Plant and Cold Storage. Tiangco said in an interview on ABS-CBN that Gilbert might be his distant relative.

Tiangco said that as of 5 am on Thursday, 96 people have been hospitalized due to the incident at the ice plant, which is owned by his mother and her siblings.

“Lahat po ng medical expenses ng mga pamilyang apektado ay babalikatin ng kompanya. Kasalukuyan pong nakasara ang ice plant at pabubuksan lamang po natin ito kapag naisagawa na nito ang safety measures alinsunod sa mga rekomendasyon ng Bureau of Fire Protection,” the mayor said.

(The company will shoulder all of the medical expenses of the affected families. The ice plant is temporarily closed and will only be allowed to reopen once it carries out all safety measures recommended by the Bureau of Fire Protection.)

Tiangco’s mother, Erlinda Marcelo Tiangco, owns 25% of the ice plant, which she and her siblings had inherited from their late father. 

Since his mother is part owner of the concerned facility, Tiangco said in an interview on ANC that the hospital expenses of all those affected by the ice plant leak will be shouldered by the company.

The mayor said in other cases, the city government provides hospital assistance to victims, but since his mother’s company is involved, it’s more prudent for the company to shoulder all the expenses.

“I have ordered the Navotas city government to make an accounting of all the expenses…. In this case, I will not allow the city government to spend a single centavo…out of delicadeza,” he said.

He said in his Facebook post that the Navotas city government will provide counseling to all residents who suffered trauma over the incident. 

The city government will also order an inspection of all ice plant and cold storage facilities in the city to check on their “occupational safety standards and environmental compliances,” Tiangco said.

He said his mother has been coordinating with him to discuss what other assistance the company can give to those affected by the incident. – Rappler.com