Two gas explosions, and not a bomb, killed 11 people and 108 others at the Glorietta 2 mall in Makati City last October 19, police said based on its post-blast probe’s final report released Thursday.
The final report by the Multi-Agency Investigation Task Force (MAITF) said it had definitely ruled out the possibility that terrorism or bombing caused the deadly explosion.
The 41-page MAITF final report said the first blast was a methane explosion, which took place at 1:31 p.m. The MAITF's final report said methane gas accumulated after knee-deep water, diesel, human and kitchen waste at the mall's allegedly poorly ventilated basement was left unattended for 76 days.
The MAITF said the second blast was a diesel vapor explosion, which occurred a minute after the first blast.
The accumulated methane gas can only explode with a spark or other possible igniters. Post-blast investigators said they were unable to find the exact igniter of the blast.
In the final report, police said probers from the National Bureau of Investigation "identified the possible source of ignition," which was the motor control panel of waste pumps two and three at the basement. It said a rise in temperature caused by the methane gas triggered the second explosion.
"Simultaneous to the vapor build-up was some pressure release through the tank’s breathers as evidenced by the whistling pressure cooker’s sound after the methane explosion. Since the accumulation of diesel vapor inside the tank reached its explosive range, the second explosion – the DIESEL VAPOR EXPLOSION occurred," the report said.
Chief Superintendent Luizo Ticman, MAITF head, said water taken from the basement during the post-blast investigation tested positive for methane. Pictures of human waste taken at the basement were also shown during the presentation.
The police said the two explosions were evident in the bending of the roofs and floors at the basement.
Testimonies of maintenance workers of the Paramount Electrical & Mechanical Corp. were also used as proof of the methane gas build-up in the mall's basement.
Police said Elmer Giganto, the leader of the Paramount maintenance team that pulled out the sump pump at the basement in August 4 last year, told the investigators that "a very offensive odor" came from the two sump pits.
Police said that according to Giganto, the maintenance team's members had to do rotations in pulling out the sump pump because they had to go out and breathe fresh air often.
The second pump was taken out August 23, which the police findings' said caused the flooding at the basement.
Police said Ma. Cristine Calope, employee of Robee Stickers store, also smelled the foul odor two days before the explosion.
The police's final report included the statements and findings of an independent probe conducted by experts hired by the Ayala Land Inc. (ALI). Each ALI statement was followed by counter-statement of the police supported by findings.
An ALI statement said, "It is unlikely that biogas was present in the basement since personnel working in and near the basement did not smell hydrogen sulfide, which smells like rotten eggs and causes nausea and eye and skin irritation."
Earlier statements of the police about the diesel tank were repeated in the final report. It said the mall's diesel tanks, which have an alleged capacity of 13,775 liters, should not have been placed inside the basement.
The police said it violated the "Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code," which allows owners to keep one diesel tank with a capacity of only 2,640 liters inside their establishments.
RDX findings not significant to explosion
Meanwhile, Ticman's report no longer dwelled extensively on the reported RDX residue swabbed from the mall's ground floor during post-blast investigation.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said investigators were "not really thinking too much about this RDX because of all other physical evidence that was surfacing."
"Even if we have two drums of RDX there, because all the other aspects that relate to a bombing were absent, there would not have been a bombing in any case. So, it was irrelevant whether RDX was there or not after all the physical evidence that surfaced," he said.
However, the RDX issue was touched in the final copy's draft that was earlier shown to ABS-CBN News.
In the draft, the MAITF had failed to mention a military ordnance team that responded right after the blast. Maj. Allan Sollano of the Explosive and Ordnance Battalion of the Philippine Army based in Fort Bonifacio, was identified as the investigator who recovered a plastic bag where a residue of RDX was reportedly traced.
There were reports that the plastic bag was planted by an Army officer, which led the police's recovery of an RDX residue at the mall's ground floor. The Philippine Army had barred the media from interviewing Sollano as it denied that the plastic bag was planted at the blast site.
In the final report, the MAITF said the "RDX findings on the plastic and debris recovered on the ground flood did not cause nor did it initiate the explosion."
It added: "RDX by itself is not a bomb. It is very stable and burns rather than explodes... the RDX findings were not corroborated by other evidence and it was not significant to the explosion."
Aside from the negative RDX findings, the MAITF ruled out theories that the explosion was caused by a bomb because of the absence of a blast crater.
The other missing evidence to prove the bomb theory were the tearing effect on metals and other construction materials in the mall, soot or blackening of affected areas, absence of bomb residue at the blast side and the victims' clothings, and the absence of components of an improvised explosive device.
Ticman also identified the people who will be charged with criminal and administrative cases for the deadly blast.
Among those who will be charged with cases of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide, physical injuries and damage to property are engineers Arnel Gonzales, Jowell Velvez, and Marcelo Botenes of the Ayala Property Management Corporation, and Candelario Valdueza of the Makati Supermarket Corp.; engineer Clifford Arriola, Joselito Buenaventura, Charlie Nepomuceno, Jonathan Ibuna, and Juan Ricafort of Marchem Industrial Sales and Service Inc.
The other persons who will be charged for violation of the Fire Code are engineer Ricardo Cruz, operations manager of Metalline Enterprises and its foreman, Miguel Velasco.
The police will also file gross neglect of duty causing undue injury against member of the Makati City Fire Station identified as Senior Fire Officer 4 Anthony Grey, SFO2 Leonilo Balais, and Senior Inspector Reynaldo Enoc.
Chief Inspector Jose Embang Jr., Makati City Fire Station chief, will be charged administratively "for simple neglect of duty-for failure to review and validate before issuing fire safety inspection certificate."
No charges to be filed vs Ayala Land officials
A source told ABS-CBN earlier that criminal cases would also be filed against officers of Ayala Land Incorporated (ALI), but their names where taken out in the final report.
Puno said no charges were filed against Ayala officials since the evidence as of this time showed no probable cause to indict them since "due care and diligence have been exercised by these officials."
"… unless there is any further evidence, new information that would indicate that there is personal action by any of the officials that will constitute a failure of due care and diligence in making these decisions relating to the safety, then the cases would remain as they are," Puno said.
Ticman said the charges will be filed Friday before the Department of Justice.
Puno also announced that he also ordered the cancellation of the fire safety inspection certificate that was issued "erroneously" to the mall owners.
"I’ve asked Undersecretary Marius Corpus to coordinate with everybody concerned in the building to apply for a new fire safety inspection certificate which should be preceded by the installation of a functional fire protection system and a fire exit. So, this is effective immediately," he said.
Australian probe backs PNP findings
During the presentation, the police showed some notes taken from the investigation report of the Australian Federal Police, which supported the MAITF's findings.
The notes taken said a fuel-air mixture explosion occurred, which originated from the basement; the explosion did not originate inside the diesel tank, however there has been a pressure build-up and release from the tank which may have occurred secondary to the initial explosion; initiation source unknown, however, a number of potential sources still exist; the exact gas that acted as the fuel in the explosive mixture is unknown, however, based on the examination of the basement possibilities include: sewer gas/fumes which can consist of sulfur dioxide, methane, ammonia and diesel; based on the examinations conducted, there was no evidence to suggest that explosion had been caused and/or initiated by an IED.
Ticman also showed a Powerpoint copy of US ambassador Kristie Kenney's statement, where she confirmed that the US experts' findings was similar to the police's investigation results.
Puno also dismissed the findings of foreign experts hired by ALI saying the explosion that killed 11 people last year was caused by a powerful bomb.
Puno said the findings of the experts can only be used as defense when the cases are filed in court but he was confident that a judge will also "set aside" the report.
"… for the moment, we would like to think that the studies that they did were done in good faith… when they (findings) are used to contest the criminal investigation that is ongoing that is when we are, by duty force, to assert that there is in fact only one authorized, under the law, to undertake the criminal investigation here," he said.
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=8415.0
Topic: PNP: Two gas explosions, not bomb, hit Glorietta (Read 1394 times)