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IN compliance with the Supreme Court’s order, the country’s
major oil firms on Tuesday submitted a five-year relocation plan to
transfer their oil depots in Pandacan, Manila to less populated
areas outside of the metropolis.
In a four-page compliance filed before a Manila
Regional Trial Court, a copy of which was submitted to the Supreme
Court, Caltex Philippines Inc. (Chevron), Pilipinas Shell Petroleum
Corp. identified their relocation sites along the coastal areas of
Manila Bay, stretching all the way to Navotas and Parañaque, and
the nearby provinces of Bulacan and Cavite.
Petron Corp., which also has its depots in
Pandacan, did not submit a plan. But Petron has no other recourse
but to join Shell and Caltex following the High Tribunal’s ruling
on February 13 which upheld Manila City Ordinance No.0827, which is
ordering the phase-out of the Pandacan oil depot.
Caltex and Shell, based on their relocation
plan, were also considering the setting up of inland depots near the
existing Batangas-Manila oil pipeline which is owned and operated by
First Philippine Industrial Corp.
Another option, being looked into by the oil
firms is a combination of inland and coastal depots along with
re-commissioning ex-refinery depots. These locations are Petron’s
Limay, Shell’s Tabangao and Caltex’s San Pascual oil terminals.
Secondary sites include Petron’s Rosario and Navotas depots.
The petroleum firms stressed that the last
option requires significant capacity upgrades of the multiple sites
in order to support the volume requirement of the Pandacan market.
-- William B. Depasupil
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