Is Laguna’s “Dormitory City” now suffering the effects of runaway urbanization?
A recent fire at a warehouse in Barangay San Antonio, San Pedro City, Laguna that escalated to a major oil spill along the city’s largest river should be a wake-up call to the awful fact: that residential subdivisions are now situated dangerously right beside large industrial complexes, posing health and safety hazards to the thousands who have come to call San Pedro City their home.
68 hours
Last Saturday, January 25, a massive fire engulfed the Kengian Complex Warehouse Building along Narra Road, in Barangay San Antonio’s western portion.
The massive conflagration took around 68 hours and 66 fire trucks from various locations before it was finally declared “fire out” on Monday, January 27.
Miraculously, despite the cluster of residential areas both along Narra Road and in the nearby Sitio Bayanbayanan in Barangay San Vicente, only five families were affected by the fire, according to the city government.
The presence of a small river next to the warehouse, as well as the Narra Road acting as a firebreak, helped in preventing the fire from spreading beyond to the small informal communities situated near the area.
Oil spill
Unfortunately, the effects of the fire not only proved to be long-lasting but also spilled (literally) beyond Barangay San Antonio.
By Sunday, January 26, residents living near the San Isidro River began complaining of a bad smell coming from the river hours after the fire erupted.
The bad smell turned out to be coming from motor oil that apparently spilled from the burning warehouse into the small creek beside it, which ultimately found its way into the San Isidro River.
The leak was first reported at around 8:00 a.m. Sunday, prompting personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to respond.
“The PCG and City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) San Pedro conducted a joint recovery operation and laid 50 meters of oil spill booms to prevent the spread of the oil,” the PCG said in a statement.
Preventive measures
As of January 29, around 51,100 liters or 258 drums of oil have been siphoned from the San Isidro River, according to data released by the CDRRMO to OpinYon Laguna.
The oil spill booms, according to officials, prevented the spill from reaching Laguna de Bay, while officials of the City Agriculture Office, PCG and the Bantay Lawa conducted monitoring along the shoreline of the lake in the cities of San Pedro and Biñan.
“Nag-mobilize na rin ang City Health Office para magkaroon ng health assessment, tapos namigay rin sila ng mga facemask at nag-conduct ng information campaign on how to respond to this oil spill,” Nico Pavino, head of the San Pedro CDRRMO, reported to OpinYon Laguna.
Pavino added that the cause of the fire, as well as how the oil from the warehouse spilled into the river, is still under investigation by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) Calabarzon office has also conducted its own assessment into the fire, with Nilo Tamoria, DENR – Calabarzon regional director, promising that they will hold accountable the people whose lapses caused the fire and the oil spill.
“As per the Coast Guard, more or less tatagal pa po ng two weeks bago tuluyang ma-clear ang oil spill depending sa number of equipment and personnel,” Pavino noted.
Not the first time
The dangers of the presence of large warehouses and industrial hubs right next to subdivisions in San Pedro City has been highlighted in two similar fires that occurred in the same barangay in the past five years.
In 2020 and 2021, two massive fires occurred inside two large warehouses in Barangay San Antonio.
The first one, in 2020, occurred near the Holiday Homes subdivision, while the second one – in 2021, involving a lumber company – happened right next to the Southville 3A relocation site in San Antonio's far western edge.
Given this troubling history, is it high time for the local government to include the dangers posed by large industrial complexes in its land planning?
"Yun pong pinangyarihan ng sunog ay ang siyang nakalaan na industrial zone sa ating lungsod, pero hindi rin po kasi natin mailalayo dito ang mga residential area dahil napakaliit na po talaga ng land area natin dito sa San Pedro," Pavino explained.
"Majority po ng ating lungsod ay 'mixed-use' areas – kumbaga po ay halu-halo na po talaga – but as much as possible, kino-contain na po natin yung mga industrial companies doon po sa ating industrial zones," he added.
Stricter management
In the meantime, Pavino sees that government agencies will become "stricter" when it comes to ensuring the safety of industrial complexes in San Pedro City.
"Actually, nagsimula na po ang Bureau of Fire Protection na magpost sa social media accounts nila kung ano ang mga responsibility ng mga kumpanya when it comes to fire safety," he explained.
The CDRRMO head added that warehouse owners, who commonly lease the space to other companies, should also strictly monitor the materials or equipment being stored inside their facilities. “Yung mga regulatory offices naman, we expect na magfo-focus rin sila hindi lamang sa mga nagpaparenta ng warehouse space kundi pati na rin sa mga nagrerenta.”
(With additional report by Catherine Go)
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