JPE CAUTIONS AYALA AGAINST COVER UP

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile on Monday urged the Ayala family and executives to take full responsibility for the October 19 explosion instead of blaming anyone but themselves.

"The Ayalas cannot just haphazardly put the blame on anyone while saving themselves from very credible findings of miscalculations and neglect on their part," he said.

The former defense minister said the police findings were clear: That the explosion that killed 11 people was triggered by a buildup of methane gas and diesel fumes, which has been backed by security experts from the United States, Australia, and Israel.

"The proof (of their negligence) is glaring," said Enrile, citing the old submersible pump recovered with a jumper by the police investigators at the basement of the mall.

The American, Australian, and Israeli experts ruled out bombing in the Oct 19 tragedy after inspecting the blast site. All of the foreigners noted the absence of bomb parts at the bomb site. Until they wrapped up their investigation last week, police still couldn't find any residue of any explosive or components of a bomb from the site.

Explaining their findings, the Israeli experts said the mixture of dangerous gases such as methane plus oxygen especially in a "closed volume" can cause an explosion so devastating it could bring down an entire building. "In a closed volume, when dangerous gases mix together with oxygen, then you have a spark that can destroy a whole building. It is also possible that a blast like this can be more powerful than a bomb," said Israel security expert David Nevo during an interview two week ago.

"The Ayalas cannot shift the burden of responsibility as these (American, Australian, and Israeli) experts who corroborated findings of the police are volunteer experts, not paid groups," the Senator said.

"If the explosion was an act of terrorism, do (the Ayalas) think the US and the other countries will not immediately come forward and denounce what happened in Glorietta? The fact is--they don't, precisely because it was not the handiwork of terrorists.

"The Ayalas must remain true to their much publicized image as a responsible developer and good corporate citizen. They owe that to the public who over the years believed in them and made them an institution in the country," Enrile added.

Because of the Glorietta tragedy, Enrile asked local government units and mall owners to impose rigid and regular inspections all the country's shopping centers.

"The Ayalas and, for that matter, all mall owners must do this to avoid unnecessary, massive further loss of lives," he said.

These mall owners, builders, operators must be made aware of their responsibilities to the public," he added.