The explosion at a posh condominium unit in Taguig City last May 31 that killed three people was not caused by a bomb, Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II said Friday.
Roxas faced the media at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Quezon City to report the initial findings of the interagency task force that conducted the investigation.
"In lieu of all the forth going investigation, the blast is consistent gas explosion, most likely LPG [liquefied petroleum gas]," he said.
The report was collated from findings of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Bureau of Fire Protection, PNP, Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco), and other concerned government agencies.
"Komportable po ang inyong mga imbestigador na walang bomba (Investigators are confident that there was no bomb)," Roxas said.
He noted that the five teams that conducted the investigation failed to find traces of bomb residue or components at the scene of the incident, which is at Unit 501-B of Two Serendra in Bonifacio Global City.
Roxas said three K9 units from the Southern Police Command, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the Philippine Army immediately conducted a walk-through in the area minutes after the blast.
The Soco also collected swab samples, investigated burn and fragmentation patterns, studied the structural and developer's plan and the trajectory of the debris after the blast.
The task force conducted 60 interviews and received 53 sworn statements from Ayala security personnel, rescue groups, renovation workers, and meter readers at Serendra as part of the investigation.
Roxas showed photos and blueprint of the one-bedroom condo unit to further explain what could have transpired on the evening of May 31.
Engineers and scientists were also tapped to help explain the incident.
Dr. CP David, a Stanford educated Geoscientist and consultant at the DOST, said in his presentation that they followed a different pattern in determining the cause of the said explosion.
They looked up for similar incidents in other countries and cited two blast reports that are close to the Serendra explosion. These two are the recent Nyack College blast in New York City, where seven faculty members were injured, and another gas explosion in Prague, Czech Republic last April 29.
David said the remnants in Two Serendra is consistent with gas explosion, like minimal post explosion residue, no blast cratering, instantaneous dissipated flame, minimal charring, powerful and widespread pressure wave, and almost instantaneous explosion covering a large area.
"It happens and despite all the safety precautions put in our LPGs, there needs to be proper precaution to the users of this material," he said, citing Two Serendra's use of centralized LPG piped-in system.
Three employees of an appliance store were killed when their van was crushed by a concrete slab that fell from the building after the explosion. The blast also left five people wounded, including Angelito San Juan, a United States citizen who rented the condominium unit.
Roxas said San Juan was not being considered a person of interest in the case as nothing was suspicious in his behavior when he arrived in the country hours before the blast. He has no criminal records in the US.
The 63-year-old sustained second degree in almost 85 percent of his body and remains at the intensive care unit of the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City.
Unit 501-B owner Marian Cayton-Castillo arrived in the country Friday morning and expressed her willingness to cooperate in the investigation.
Cayton-Castillo confirmed that she allowed San Juan, family friend, to use the condominium unit from May 31 to June 9.
Even though the cause of the incident was already determined, the government will still continue the investigation, Roxas said.
"We are continuing our investigation as to the timeline and sequence of events and will give updates accordingly. There are other tests that are currently conducted by our investigators and as soon as they finish, we will report it to everybody," he Roxas.--Source: Sun Star