Thursday, October 03, 2013

The Two Serendra Blast: The Results are FINALLY Out!

The results are FINALLY OUT. Exactly 125 days after the Serendra blast, DILG Secretary Mar Roxas announced in a press conference earlier this afternoon that the blast was caused by “negligence.”

See article on Rappler: 3 Ayala firms face charges over Serendra blast.
 
Why did it take more than 4 months to figure out??
 
And just like that, Roxas has declared that Two Serendra residents are now allowed to move back into their homes! Well. It’s not that easy, mister.
  • First off, it will take a while before they figure out what to do with this “result.” I heard that they are suing a whole lot of corporations, so this will be one messy legal battle.
  • Secondly, our “homes” are a complete MESS. We have been displaced from our condos for 125 days! Can you imagine the amount of dust that has accumulated on our stuff, and the level of deterioration the elements have caused on our exposed floors and walls? There was damage to the property to begin with, because of the blast, but leave all of that alone for long, and you will get a hell of a mess.
  • Thirdly, Alveo, the developer will need to get started on insurance claims ASAP so that they can start with the renovation of common areas (hallways, windows, etc.). We can’t go home yet when the ceilings in the hallways are all blasted open, and the doors are all unhinged! Crazy talk. I've been back a couple of times to get some of our stuff, and the whole Section B is a ghost town and a wreck. It's safe to say that it's going to take a while for Alveo and the contractor to sort everything out. Renovation might take 6 months minimum. Oh, and they need to replace the elevator too. Procurement, delivery and installation of an elevator takes MONTHS. Better get started, Alveo.
  • And last but not the least, they need to have a third party check if it is indeed safe to move in already. Structural, electrical, plumbing and gas experts have to recheck all of the building elements and utilities to ensure that the residents’ lives can go completely back to normal upon moving back in.
I, for one, am glad that they have finally decided to release the results, but I'm still a bit puzzled by some of the (incomplete) details. For example, they will still need to clarify which governing body allowed the tenant to move in without first inspecting the unit after renovation. I find that part a bit iffy. And I'm sure a lot of people have their own questions about the investigation as well.
 
It's sad that it had to take this long for the government to come up with answers. Because of the delay, the residents have gone increasingly restless. Our fears may be calmed for now, because of the release of the results, but I sense a bigger battle ahead. Now, everybody will be clamoring for ACTION. Now that the "why" has been (partially) answered, what needs to be answered next is: What's the next step? What needs to be done? When will this be done? How?
 
More questions. How long will it take to answer each one?