PNP welcomes Binay proposal for independent mall blast probe

An independent investigation into the cause of the Glorietta 2 explosion is welcome, but it will not change the findings of the police investigation on the incident, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. said yesterday.

Razon said the suggestion made by Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay to conduct an independent investigation into the incident would lend credibility to the PNP probe.

Any evidence gathered by the independent probe into the incident would be used to support the findings of their police experts but “it will not stand alone nor will it negate the investigation of the PNP,” he said.

“Mayor Binay’s request for an independent probe on the incident was already made,” Razon said.

He pointed out the findings made by foreign experts and numerous government agencies, which helped the PNP in its investigation of the incident.

Apart from PNP’s Explosive Ordnance Division (EOD), other agencies that helped in the probe included the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Bureau of Fire Prevention (BFP), and experts from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Australian Federal Police and an Israeli explosives expert.

Razon said the PNP also solicited the help of petrochemical experts from Petron.

“So what else are they looking for, what credibility are they asking for? This investigation is taking so long to complete because we want to be very certain with our findings. Since Day 1, we have been searching through debris and rubble one-by-one to look for bomb fragments but we cannot find any. The physical evidence that we found in the basement supports the theory of a gas explosion,” Razon said.

The PNP chief said police and foreign investigators have all agreed that the explosion that rocked the high-end shopping mall last Oct. 19 was not caused by a bomb but by a gas leak. Eleven people were killed and over a hundred others had been injured in the blast.

Binay had asked the PNP to reveal the findings made by the foreign experts.

“We are not hiding our investigation. It is not the job of an investigator to pre-judge the investigation,” Razon stressed.

He said the findings would be made public and would be the basis for any consequent legal action.

Razon assured mall owners Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) that the findings would be based on the evidence gathered at the scene.

ALI earlier debunked police theories of an accidental blast, insisting that the facility was in order.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Geary Barias had declared “negligence” was the cause of the explosion.

Barias, the designated spokesman for the PNP on the incident, said civil and criminal charges could be filed against those responsible for the basement area in the Glorietta mall where the blast occurred.

Barias stressed the PNP is officially handling the case with the foreign experts and other agencies helping out in the investigation.

Barias said the PNP’s post-blast investigators are now checking on the permits issued by the local government and the contracts by ALI with its tenants to pinpoint who committed negligence.   

He said the post-blast investigators are exerting all efforts to gather the evidence to make its case stand in court.

“Analysis of the documents may give us a clearer picture of who are liable for charges of negligence,” Barias said.   

He said the PNP would also look into the culpability of the city government by determining whether they conducted the necessary inspection of the facility before it granted the permit to operate.

“We will tap the NBI’s assistance in reviewing the permits and other documents issued to ALI which operates the Glorietta shopping complex,” Barias said.

According to Barias, charges of negligence resulting in multiple homicide and physical injuries may be filed.

Authorities, meanwhile, are also checking out the air quality and safety of other shopping malls and hotels in Metro Manila.

Dr. Estrella Gust, Occupational Health and Safety Center (OSHC) executive director, said they are conducting research to ensure air safety of parking areas in malls and hotels.

“We are trying to determine if the parking areas in malls and hotels have proper ventilation and if there are dangerous chemicals that could put at risk the health and lives of employees and customers,” Gust said.

She said the OSHC, an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), is currently monitoring the air quality of malls and hotels as part of government’s program to ensure safety of workplaces.

Gust claimed many parking areas in shopping malls and hotels have poor ventilation.

She pointed out that most parking areas in malls and hotels are located in the basement, thus the need for proper ventilation to prevent accumulation of toxic gases from vehicles. -With Jose Rodel Clapano, Mayen Jaymalin