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PESKY SAFETY ISSUES OF OIL INDUSTRY
The Philippine Star The much-publicized Energy Summit has come and gone. And while piles of documents have been created to record the deliberations and action plans, there are pressing safety issues that remained hanging, giving the public some anxious moments. For instance, the issue of a major oil product terminal in the heart of Metro Manila – like an unrequited love – resurfaces, this time bringing our fears closer to home. Two weeks ago, a road tanker carrying diesel and gasoline exploded a few minutes after it had exited Shell's loading facility in Pandacan. The resulting fireball singed vehicles all around it, and claimed the life of a businessman who was trapped inside his vehicle when the blast occurred. The accident, reportedly started by a broken propeller shaft that hit a drainpipe connected to the stored gasoline tank, was something that clearly could have been avoided. While the Pandacan oil terminal operators – the country's three major oil firms – continue to dig their heels on the call for them to relocate, let us at least have better safety precautions that would ensure that these costly and painful accidents won't happen again. It seems the safety guidelines covering the industry's land trucking operators are very much dependent on the oil companies' safety rules and regulations, unlike petroleum product barges and tankers that have to adhere to standards of a government regulator agency. Is this an issue for the Land Transportation Office? The Maritime Industry Association (Marina), for example, has been efficient in dictating additional safeguards that barge and tanker operators must comply with to address safety and environmental concerns. For sure, the recent requirement by To respond to the public's outcry on the series of water transport accidents, the government had to step in through Specialist needed The same logic would apply to the thousands of petroleum-bearing road tankers that carry such volatile products either from the oil companies' refineries in Batangas and Without a government agency singularly focused on ensuring the safety of all these tankers traversing Metro Manila's busy roads, we live in fear of a similar incident that happened last month, or even worse. In 2001, the Manila City Council passed an ordinance requiring the oil companies in Pandacan to relocate within six months, an impossibly short time for such a gargantuan task with major supply shortage implications nationwide. The oil companies then pleaded for time, which gave rise to the agreement to consolidate the operations of the three oil firms so that there would be more space freed around the perimeter walls. The safety buffer zone was an additional protective scheme while the more serious work of finding a new relocation site was being undertaken. Yet, five years after, the oil companies managed to secure another extension on its residency in Pandacan. This time, the deadline for relocating their terminal operations away from Pandacan's predominantly residential communities was extended by another seven years, until 2014. One year has lapsed since – and one deadly accident. We have six more years of waiting, assuming that the oil companies don't get another extension. This is going to be a long and excruciating wait especially if we have more fireballs racing beside us as we head home. A government watchdog similar to I'm sure there are more upgrades that could be introduced to keep the road transport of oil products, as well as other similarly flammable cargo, in a safer manner, the same way that Relocation is best Finally, zeroing on the countdown of oil companies' relocation of their facilities in Pandacan, the public needs to see something more tangible this year with regards their future plans. As I have said in past columns, it is time for the oil industry to let go of Pandacan. The “I-was-here-first argument” is no longer relevant, given the reality of more than 85,000 people living in the surrounding perimeter, not to mention hundreds of thousands of commuters cutting across the area at any given day. The task of determining an alternative storage site and distribution mode, that includes the underground pipeline from the Batangas refineries, which will keep the flow of oil products continuously moving to 80 percent of the country, needs to be seriously monitored. Otherwise, we might wake up one morning to realize that 2014 is just around the corner, and no significant work has been done by the oil companies. And once again, the Filipino public will find itself hostage to the convenient excuse of oil companies that to stop the operations of Pandacan would result in a nationwide paralysis – gasoline stations going empty, airplanes not able to fly, power outages, manufacturing plants stopping, not to mention, higher prices. The Department of Energy has been coddling oil companies for so long now on this issue. Shouldn't they instead be more diligent in resolving this long, festering concern by demanding for a timetable from the industry with regards their future plans, and making this transparent to the public? Lastly, as the oil companies prepare to leave Pandacan, government must also be resolute in ensuring that the environmental remediation of the vacated property is properly implemented. After being the heart of the country's oil supply network for almost a hundred years, the 33-hectare land will need a lot of work before future communities will be able to safely use the area for residential and commercial purposes. “Pag-usapan Natin” looks at local sports scene at IBC-TV 13 Watch “Pag-usapan Natin,” a segment of the IBC-TV 13 news program News Tonite, from 10:30 pm to 11 pm (Mondays to Fridays) as we discuss this whole week what ails local sports and what can be done to motivate athletes as they prepare for upcoming international competitions. Viewers may send their comments to Sunshine Television c/o Valle Verde Country Club, Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center,
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