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The Pandacan Oil Depot was a 33-hectare compound in
Pandacan Pandacan is a district in Manila, Philippines which is known in recent history for its former Pandacan oil depot which supplies the majority of oil exports in the country. Profile In 2000, Pandacan had a total population of close to 82,194. T ...
,
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
,
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. It housed the storage facilities and distribution terminals of three major players in the country's petroleum industry, namely
Caltex Caltex is a petroleum brand name of Chevron Corporation used in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Southern Africa. It is also the brand name of non-Chevron petroleum companies in some countries (such as New Zealand, and previously A ...
(a petroleum brand name of
Chevron Corporation Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation. The second-largest direct descendant of Standard Oil, and originally known as the Standard Oil Company of California (shortened to Socal or CalSo), it is headquartered in Sa ...
),
Petron Petron Corporation is the largest oil refining and marketing company in the Philippines, supplying more than a third of the country's oil requirements. It operates a refinery in Limay, Bataan with a rated capacity of . From the refinery, Petron ...
, and
Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...
. The oil depot took its roots from separate establishments by these oil companies. The continued operation of the oil depot in a densely populated major city was a subject of various concerns, including its environmental and health impact to the residents of Manila.


History

Shell established facilities in 1914. Caltex began using the Pandacan warehouse depot in 1917, when it started marketing its products in the Philippines. Eleven years later, its Pandacan warehouse depot was converted into a key distribution terminal to bring products to nearby provinces. Petron followed suit in 1922.


Incidents and concerns

The continued operation of the oil depot in a densely populated major city has been a subject of various concerns, including its environmental and health impact to the residents of the adjacent community surrounding the compound, as well as to the larger Manila population. International standards allow oil depots to operate within a 20-kilometer radius buffer zone, away from residential and commercial establishments which would be directly affected by the facility’s everyday operations and impending accidents in the future. In 1997, two Shell oil tankers exploded inside the oil depot complex. In 1999, a pipeline leak was the source of fires in
Muntinlupa Muntinlupa, officially the City of Muntinlupa ( fil, Lungsod ng Muntinlupa), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 543,445 people. It is cl ...
, killing one. In January 2008, a tanker burst into flames at the foot of the Nagtahan fly-over. In 2005, the UP College of Medicine at the
University of the Philippines Manila The University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) is a state-funded medical and research university located in Ermita, Manila, Philippines. It is known for being the country's center of excellence in the health sciences, including health professio ...
conducted the cross-sectional study which found that the number of cases of neurophysical disorders in the area surrounding the area have been progressively increasing. In the same year, a health survey proved that the air surrounding the oil depot contains high levels of
benzene Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. Because it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms ...
, a chemical compound known to increase risks of cancer. In July 2010, the leak of the underground pipeline of the First Philippine Industrial Corporation (FPIC), which carries oil from the oil refineries in the province of
Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( tl, Lalawigan ng Batangas ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Its capital is the city of Batangas, and is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Lag ...
to Pandacan, caused the contamination of water bed table at the basement of West Tower Condominium in Bangkal in
Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...
. In 2013, the
Laguna Lake Development Authority The Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), one of the attached agencies of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), is responsible for the preservation, development, and sustainability of Laguna de Bay (Laguna Lake) and its ...
(LLDA) General Manager
Nereus Acosta Juan Romeo Nereus Olaivar Acosta (born May 14, 1966), popularly known as Neric Acosta, is a Filipino politician, academician, and political scientist in the Philippines. He is a former member of the Philippine House of Representatives, representi ...
fined the operator of the depot with P200,000 daily due to environmental violations in the Pasig River, which runs thru Laguna Lake. The
Malacañang Palace Malacañang Palace ( fil, Palasyo ng Malakanyang, ; es, Palacio de Malacañán), officially known as Malacañan Palace, is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the Philippines. It is located in the Manila distric ...
, the official residence of the
President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...
, is only two kilometers away from the depot. The
Polytechnic University of the Philippines , mottoeng = ''Light of the Nation'' , type = Public coeducational research higher education institution , established = October 19, 1904 , closed = , religious_affiliation ...
is located directly across from the depots on the banks of the
Pasig River The Pasig River ( fil, Ilog Pasig) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and its surrounding urban area into northern and southern halves. Its ...
.


Legislative actions

In 2001, the
Manila City Council The Manila City Council ( Filipino: Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Maynila) or the city's legislature is composed of 38 councilors, with 36 councilors elected from Manila's six councilor districts (coextensive with the Legislative districts of Manila) ...
passed Ordinance No. 8027 that changed the classification of Pandacan from an industrial to a commercial area. It gave the oil depot six months to cease operating in the area. In 2006, Ordinance No. 8119 ordered the phasing out of hazardous industries in the city, including the depot. In 2009, Ordinance 8027 was upheld by the
Supreme Court of the Philippines The Supreme Court ( fil, Kataas-taasang Hukuman; colloquially referred to as the ''Korte Suprema'' lso used in formal writing is the highest court in the Philippines. The Supreme Court was established by the Second Philippine Commission on Ju ...
; while the City Council passed Ordinance No. 8187 to negate the first ordinance. This time, Pandacan was re-classified as a heavy industrial zone, allowing the depot to operate. The ordinance was later ruled by the Supreme Court as invalid. Thru the efforts of community activists who are members of the Advocates for Environmental and Social Justice (AESJ) coalition of Manila, City Ordinance No. 8283 re-classified the area as a high-intensity commercial zone in 2012, thus giving the oil depot until 2016 to relocate, but was vetoed by then Mayor Alfredo Lim. The proposal instead was to transfer the facilities to the North Harbor, still in Manila.


Dismantlement

Shell started dismantling the oil depot in July 2015. By the following month, at least three tanks has been dismantled. The oil depot was later dismantled completely. In January 2017, Petron announced that it plans to establish a public market in a property within the site of the former oil depot.


External links


The Other Shell Report 2003Advocates for Environmental and Social Justice


See also

* Buncefield oil depot * Malampaya gas field


References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Pandacan Energy in the Philippines Oil terminals 1914 establishments in the Philippines 2015 disestablishments in the Philippines