JUSTICE Secretary Raul Gonzalez yesterday
cleared Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) of any liability in the Glorietta
2 blast last Oct. 19 that killed 11 and injured more than 100.
Gonzalez, in an interview at the send-off
ceremony for President Arroyo at the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport Centennial Terminal, said ALI may be the mall owner but
Ayala Property Management Corp. (APMC) handles mall operations,
including maintenance.
Asked if the APMC or any of its officials
should be liable, he said "we are still looking because the
record in the SEC (Securities Exchange Commission) about the
Ayala Property Management appears that almost all of the members
of the directors of Ayala Property are just there as nominal
members."
He said they are still looking at the people
who are really in control and managing the company.
"I don’t want to telegraph the findings that
we have now but it will come out. But I can say that Ayala Land
Inc. is not involved here," he added.
Gonzalez said he would release the Justice
Department’s finding within the week.
He said at least three persons could be added
to the initial 15 charged by the PNP inter-agency task force
last Jan. 10 with criminal cases ranging from gross negligence
resulting in multiple homicide, physical injuries and damage to
property to violations of the fire code.
They are Candelario Valdueza, project
engineer of Makati Supermarket Corp. (MSC); Marcelo Botenes,
building engineer of MSC-Glorietta 2; Jowell Velvez, building
administrator of MSC-Glorietta 2; Arnel Gonzales, building
manager of MSC-Glorietta 2; Clifford Arriola, operations manager
of Marchem Industrial Sales and Services Inc.; Joselito
Buenaventura, supervisor of MARCHEM; Charlie Nepomuceno, MARCHEM
maintenance personnel; Jonathan Ibuna, MARCHEM maintenance
personnel, and Juan Ricafort, MARCHEM maintenance personnel;
Jose S. Embang Jr., fire Marshal of Makati City fire department.
SFO4 Anthony Grey, SFO2 Leonilo Balais, and Reynaldo Enoc, all
of the fire safety inspection unit of the Makati City Fire
Station; Ricardo Cruz, operations manager of Metalline
Enterprises, and Miguel Velasco Jr., a foreman.
The PNP has ruled out terrorism saying the
explosion was caused by accumulation of industrial gases.
Ayala Land Inc. has claimed that based on a separate probe
conducted by foreign experts there was a high concentration of
research and development explosive (RDX) found at the blast
site. – Jocelyn Montemayor
