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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Tiptoeing around LPG
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on Oct. 31, 2007 For the Standard Today, November 01 issue The American FBI, the Australian Federal Police and an Israeli security consultant at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport have apparently (and separately) concluded that the Glorietta blast last Oct 19 was caused by an accidental gas explosion, and not by a terrorist bomb. Or, by extension, by a bomb planted by the military to presage martial law or to divert people�s attention from the scandals that have plagued the Arroyo regime, as over-zealous conspiracy theorists have hysterically proffered, even without an iota of evidence.. I say �apparently� because their reports have not been published in full, only included in the press briefings of the Philippine National Police (PNP). But it can be assumed with certainty that the foreign bomb experts are indeed convinced that it was not a bomb. There was no crater, no bomb fragments, no detonator, no nitrate residues. So if it was an accidental gas explosion, which gas? Methane or LPG? It was the PNP officials themselves who declared, within an hour or two after the explosion, and without diligently examining the physical and chemical evidence in the basement Ground Zero � because it was flooded kuno - that it was an LPG explosion After all, there must be dozens of LPG explosions in Metro Manila every year. But several hours later, the PNP officials were apparently �convinced� to change their minds and blame the explosion on a terrorist�s bomb instead, citing traces of RDX supposedly found in the debris. One PNP official was even video-ed on Oct 20 excitedly proclaiming, �I hereby declare a state of red alert in Metro Manila.� But four or five days later, the same PNP officials � apparently influenced by inputs from the foreign bomb experts that it was not a bomb � changed their minds again and this time said that the blast was likely caused by methane gas, explaining that the traces of RDX that they earlier said they had found in the debris may have come from cosmetics or aerosol sprays. But all the while and up to this day, Ayala Land , the owners of Glorietta, insisted and insist that it was a bomb. Does this have to do with insurance and liability claims? Looks like the investigation is being conducted by the Katzenjammer Kids or the Three Stooges. Why don�t they call in Inspector Clouseau? The explanation-du jour of the PNP � that the blast was caused by methane gas � is plausible but it is not definitive or conclusive. Methane gas in this case comes from the digestion by bacteria of more complex organic molecules, from vegetable and meat/fish scraps from the building�s three or four restaurants, plus human waste from toilets in the building, diluted by dish wash water from the restaurants and flush water from the toilets.. The restaurants are located on the ground and upper floors of the building adjoining Glorietta 2, owned by Makati Supermarket Inc., which leased the land from Ayala Land . According to newspaper accounts, MSI also leased the basement under Glorietta 2, where the blast occurred. (Standard Today, Nov.01, 2007) According to what I could glean from newspaper accounts, this waste material goes down into a septic tank (located beneath the basement floor) from where it is pumped into a waste treatment plant (also below the basement floor). The slurry is then pumped into the sewerage line of the city of Makati . The methane theory assumes there was a leak of methane gas into the basement from the septic tank and/or waste treatment plant below, either through an open valve or through cracks in the concrete floor. And that it was this build-up of methane gas in the basement that was ignited by a spark or a lighted cigarette. This is disputed by Ayala Land on the grounds that the passage of waste material into the septic tank and then into the water treatment plant and then into the sewerage line takes less than 24 hours, and that the waste is partly in liquid form in the septic tank, and is entirely in liquid form in the waste treatment plant. Meaning, there is not enough time for anaerobic digestion by bacteria to take place to generate enough methane gas to wreak the extent of destruction, deaths and physical injuries that the blast caused. I tend to agree with this line of reasoning. I recall that in the communes of Maoist China, villagers collected �night soil� (polite terms for �human waste�) which were then fed into their biogas digesters, from which methane gas was extracted, to be used as cooking gas in their communal kitchens. But the conversion from solid �night soil� to methane gas did not and does not happen instantaneously. It took several days (10 to 14, if memory serves) of digestion of the solid waste by bacteria for methane gas to accumulate in sufficient volume and pressure to become accessible at a communal kitchen tap. I would think that such waste, heavily diluted by dish wash water and toilet flush water, would take even longer to generate methane gas in sufficient volume to cause such a large explosion. Even the PNP�s claim that the pump/s was/were under repair for five days, just prior to the explosion, probably does not provide enough time for such a large volume of explosive gas to be generated and accumulate. In the absence of conclusive evidence that the blast was caused by methane gas, and even less evidence that it was caused by a bomb, I would keep my mind open to the possibility that it was caused by LPG, as I did in my article Glorietta LPG Blast? (Oct. 23). But everyone � media, the PNP, Ayala Land � seems to be tiptoeing around the LPG initials as if it were some kind of taboo, the mere mention of which would cause some curse to be visited on whoever utters them. But LPG has to be mentioned because, according to someone who has done work in the premises, LPG cylinders were stored in the basement and were connected by copper tubing to the kitchens of several restaurants. If this is true, then someone has to explain why LPG cylinders were stored there. Is this not against city ordinances or national laws here? Reader Rudy Hermosa of Boston, Massachusetts emailed: �Your assessment of the Glorietta explosion is more reasonable as the cause of the incident than a terrorist act. Here in the US , gas cylinders stored in a basement is a violation of OSHA standards. These cylinders, while being used, are supposed to be outside the building, barricaded or fenced. This is to prevent explosions due to leakage. Unused cylinders are to be kept in a non-flammable storage area and are (to be) separated with a barrier or by distance from flammable liquids such as paints, thinners, etc��� As for the PNP�s theory that methane gas reacted with diesel fumes to cause the explosion, Reader Roman de Guzman emailed from Edmonton, Canada that �I could not believe that (someone) had mentioned about a chemical reaction between diesel fumes and methane gas to produce RDX, which is new to me. RDX is just another way of calling a compound that is unknown �.There is no reaction between diesel fumes (possible C17H35) and methane gas, unless there are contaminants such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide, but even these two do not react with methane�.. �As someone who has been called upon to assess explosions of this kind, I support your theory that the cause of the explosion was not a bomb. �Your assessment of the cause of the explosion is chemically correct. You sound like you have a good background in chemistry or chemical engineering.� But, �based on what I have read, I am confident that the cause of the explosion was methane or sewage gas�..� Fair enough. But would that assessment stand, given the specific limitations I mentioned above regarding the time needed for largely liquid waste to generate methane gas? A definitive and conclusive assessment is probably no longer possible, given the rather limp-wristed investigation that attended this incident. Aside from giving three conflicting causes of the explosion, the police did not assume jurisdiction at all over the blast scene. Neither did they swab the walls or take samples of the air inside the basement right after the blast � because it was flooded kuno - to have a more scientific basis for arriving at the cause. They have not bothered to find out what happened to the LPG gas cylinders that had been stored there. Inspector Clouseau would have done better. Instead the landowner and/or its lessee have boarded up the premises completely to deny them to prying eyes. Twelve days after the explosion, whatever physical or chemical evidence that may have been left there that would be inimical to their self-interest would, by this time, have been removed, erased or otherwise rendered non-existent. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Tiptoeing around LPG� More Reactions to �Glorietta LPG Blast?� More Reactions to � Malaysia �s Success Tony: I still believe that the cause of the Marietta explosion was due to a leaking LPG gas container in a basement. A leakage from a soldered joint on the copper tubing or a loose tread of the valve unit could have occurred. A routine test of putting soapy water on a joint or the tread of the valve could have shown any leakage. These are common problems in such operations. Here in the US , Teflon tapes are used around the tread to prevent leakage. I doubt very much if such a practice is done in the Philippines . (It is also done here. ACA) A spark from a coupling of an automatic self-starting motor or machinery could have ignited the gas. To me, the "root cause" of the explosion is the practice of installing LPG gas containers in a basement or confined space. To add to the problem, someone reported that there was no functioning ventilation system in the area. While I do not disagree totally with you on the methane gas probability (Kindly re-read my article: it was not I but the police who favor this theory. ACA), it will be my second guess. I have personally inspected sewer treatment plants, trash burning facilities and landfills. Methane gas has always been noticeable and present. I also observed how methane gas is being extracted from landfills and used to run machinery to produce electricity. (I have seen a similar facility in Melbourne , Australia . ACA) An example of this operation is at the Waste Management Turnkey Landfill Facility in New Hampshire . At this facility, every electrical motor or spark producing equipment are shielded or explosion-proof. While going around inside and outside of the building, I surely smelled methane gas and sewer. To avoid the smell, I tried to use my respirator, and the guys just laughed at me...calling me "a typical OSHA inspector." At Marietta (You mean Glorietta. ACA), I doubt very much if the sewer system are that wide-open or that poorly maintained. If they are, then someone should have noticed it and corrective action should have been taken, not only because of the probability of methane gas accumulation but by the smell of sewer. Maintenance records and practices should be evaluated. Rudy Hermosa, (by email), Boston , MA , Nov. 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I knew that it was the workings of the military! Psy-ops operatives did that. Next step is martial law! Ponso Tucay, (by email), Nov. 01, 2007 (And your proofs? Or is this another case of �My mind is made up. Don�t confuse me with the facts�? ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww There are several dozen other restaurants in Glorietta. Maybe we should have an accounting of where all their LPG tanks are. As for the shifting statements of the PNP -- as the old saying goes, "Never charge to malice what can be adequately explained as incompetence." Robby Villabona, (by email), Nov. 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I am wondering what the Ayalas are avoiding by not admitting whatever was the circumstances that caused the blast at G-2. Ayala Land has assured the blast victims of medical and financial help, so, even if they are not at fault by negligence or otherwise, they have been financially helping the victims. If the responsibility for the blast is accepted by Ayala, they will also be paying out what they are paying out now anyway. Or, possibly a little bit more. So, why?. And why have they boarded up the place? What were being hidden from scrutiny? If the opinions of the "experts" are not acceptable, why call them in the first place.? The problem is aggravated by PNP pre-empting supposedly authoritative announcements without following proper procedures in such cases. The PNP should have held their tongues until a more definitive result of the investigation had been arrived at. It was so difficult for them to say, "We do not know yet. The cause of the blast is still under investigation." As it is now, each group in the investigation is seemingly making pronouncements egotistically. Edmundo Ledesma, (by email), Cainta, Rizal, Nov. 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi, ACA, Your nice article points out certain factors. If the PNP does not have the means to arrive at its own definite conclusions and therefore makes changes of mind and opinion, until it finally just goes along with the findings of foreign experts, the explosion incident assumes another, and even more significant issue. The bigger issue is that the PNP must upgrade itself in three major fronts: its ability to investigate, to avoid and prevent similar accidents and of course, to learn from the wisdom of the concerned foreign experts. The PNP must be competent. Lourdes Ceballos, (by email), Nov. 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hello Mr Abaya, My take on this is, when shit hits the fan, in this case, literally... "Cherchez l�argent!" as Inspecteur Clouseau would strongly suggest. Furthermore... "They who are of the opinion that Money will do everything, may very well be suspected to do everything for Money." -George Savile "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it." -Adolf Hitler "�.We are innocent of wrongdoing. We are attacked by unforeseeable forces come to harm us. We are, thus, innocent even of negligence. Though those forces are insuperable, chance will come to our aid and we shall emerge victorious." - David Mamet on disaster movies "All is not well. I doubt some foul play." �Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Ernestina Peralta, (by email), Nov. 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Sir, Your theory of the LPG makes more sense than the methane gas. It would take a lot longer period to build up enough of the material for such a critical mass. I sent an e mail to a friend of mine saying that the Zobel de Ayalas are an old fashioned and old style Spanish Filipino family who still go to church and still believe in the fairy tales of religion. He answered back by saying, " well, no need for terrorists." Sincerely yours, Francisco P. Viri, (by email), Nov. 01, 2007 (So what does the Zobels going to church have to do with the Glorietta blast? ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony: If anyone prevented access to the Glorietta 2 site of the explosion, it was the PNP, whose people were all over the place, most probably sanitizing traces that may confirm that there were suspicious material in the debris. Now, the conflicting PNP announcements about findings only make matters worse. The claim that the foreign experts have decided it was not a bomb, with the PNP spokespersons waving around the report and then saying these reports could not yet be released, only further fuels suspicions that the PNP is up to the usual GMA tricks of dissembling. Indeed, the PNP is very careful not to point to LPG, because that stands for Lying President Gloria! Tito Osias, (by email), Nov. 02, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I feel sorry for those who died and got hurt-- but the ado about the cause of the Glorietta explosion is getting just too much. . The explosion was an "accident-waiting-to-happen" because of varied reasons: 1 ) Improper or inadequate venting of Glorietta's basement allowing pooling of explosive mixure of unstable fumes; 2) negligent and careless storage of flammable material; 3) poor "housekeeping" etc etc etc. This tragic incident is more in the realm of industrial/commercial oversight-- as in shit do happens! What is important is that it was not a "terrorists" act-- which really would had given it a very far more sinister undertone. Alexander Po, (by email), Nov. 02, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, Watching "Bandila" report on the blast, I was surprised by the swiftness of Mr. Trillanes' conclusion that the Glorietta explosion was caused by a bomb. I had Mr. Trillanes' honesty and integrity in very high regard and sincerely thought and had high hopes that he is a potential leader who could bring dignity and honor to the Philippine presidency, up until this baseless (as it was immediately after the blast, it was improbable for him to send his agent to investigate and report back) and irresponsible accusation. Alas, Mr. Trillanes has degraded himself into a "trapo", milking incidences such as this for political mileage. He reminds me of Mr. Binay who up to recent news is still insisting that the blast was from a bomb planted by PGMA's agents. Although I am not a supporter, I liked the more circumspect view of Sen. Lacson to wait for evidence before rendering judgment about the blast. I'm not a chemist or chemical engineer but tend to agree with you in your analysis that it was an LPG blast. I don't have to look far but here in the U.S. , commercial LPG/propane tanks are stored outdoors. Shane Flores, (by email), Sacramento , CA , Nov. 02, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Whew!!!! That was some up-scrolling and down-scrolling for me. Readers do take your notions and observations that seriously. I guess your writing can really set up their reasoning and analytic mind.....like what your writing did to me herein. So "sayang" that I didn't get to listen and watch you on TV. I was way out hurrying back home to catch your show, but no luck. Hope there is a replay or that I can search for it on the net? It was the ANC channel, right? I'll try searching......................meanwhile.......ciao...... Rose Bulahan, (by email), Nov. 02, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, There could be a thousanf guess, whats and who. The good thing is that the blast does not come from a suicide bomber. The Ayala will surely deny such explosion came from their own buildings, for these will jeopardize their Construction business globally. The PNP could not release in full the reports of foreign bomb experts or just holding the vital information- PGMA's relations with Makati business club night further worsen and its dangerous. Meanwhile, Makati Mayor Jojo Binay became too pre-occupied with the series incidents happening in Makati , which is enough for him to get focused in solving serious problems in his own backyard - thus keeping him out to organize another People Power (PP). I don't know why PGMA is so lucky! During the previous years, whenever a big raly or PP is on the opting, the weather always became turbulent, forcing the rallyist to disperse by themselves, and go home. Now the Makati explosion (or bombing?) the suppose call for another PP to wane. Erap's full pardon, is another issue that further divides the opposition enough to put in vain the second move for impeachment of PGMA, and so with the positioning of Presidentiables in the 2010 National elections. Erap boys are on the Political drawing board how to be back into power, which is just natural for every political animal. There are no permanent enemies of friends just interest. PGMA is small but terrible or wise enough like Napoleon Bonaparte. Wheter she likes it or not, sooner or later, at the end of the day, sure she does gets her Waterloo . I beginning to admire her, she makes a foll out of the big boys! Hehe! Rodolfo Cada, (by email), Nov. 02, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww The tacky joke circulating these days is that it wasn't C4 that caused the explosion but C.R.! Makati , and particularly the Ayala malls, have multi-layered security systems, which incorporate both formal and informal aspects. Note that nearly each building in the Makati CBD has several guards. Makati does not sleep. There are many people who could have noticed something suspicious. Entry to the Ayala mall basement is subject to rather strict security procedures, even if some say that security guards are generally ill-trained. Worse, traffic is horrendous and would make escape routes very risky. This will make even the most professional of would-be terrorist anxious (there is no such thing as personal space with all that frisking the guards do to you). By now it should be clear whether it was a real bomb or a stink bomb that caused all that destruction. An environmental risk assessment (ERA) specialist can easily comment on this. In any case, what did their Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) filed with the DENR state about the placement of cooking fuels tanks and wastewater treatment systems? Was there an ERA study required or done? What can their architects and engineers say about their design? I wonder what sort of environmental remediation is being done? The Ayala Land website doesn't say much.... If indeed it was a gas explosion, the liabilities Ayala faces will be significant, not counting loss of face. It's beginning to look like Ayala is between a rock and a hard place. It will be interesting how they and support groups such as Makati Business Club will act. Hecky Villanueva, (by email), Tucson , Arizona , Nov. 03, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished) Hello Hecky- The gas explosion story, with diagrams, was on the Inquirer's front page Nov. 3. Seems credible. Yes, I am also asking if the Ayala malls ever had a full environmental impact statement! What I am sure is that the Ayala malls, and for that matter, all malls in the Philppines, did not undertake environmental risk assessment for the reason that unlike power plants and cement plants, malls are perceived to be safe places. Maybe the closest that they did was to submit an emergency preparedness plan but I am not sure about this. We can therefore expect DENR/EMB to require risk assessments as a result of the Glorietta incident. Remember the Cherry Hill tragedy which resulted in the suspension of several DENR/EMB officers? After that, the engineering, geological and geo-hazard assessment became a MUST report for several projects. Rolando L. Metin, (by email), Nov. 04, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww There could be a thousand guess, of what is it and who did it. The good thing is that the blast does not come from a suicide bomber. When this happened, fear will be everywhere in the Metro Manila. Me for one will not go in any Mall or in any place where there are too many people around. The Ayala will surely deny that explosion came from one the buildings they own. This will surely have bad effects and might jeopardize their Construction business globally. The PNP could not release in full the reports of foreign bomb experts or just holding the vital information for the simple reason, that PGMA�s relations with Makati Business Club might further worsen and its dangerous, now that impeachment is about to be filed in Congress against the President. Meanwhile, Makati Mayor Jojo Binay became too pre-occupied with the series of bad incidents happening in Makati (explosion, fire), These are enough for him to get focused in solving serious problems in his own backyard - thus loosing timing, and keeping him out and unable to organize another People Power. Rodolfo Cada, (by email), Nov. 04, 2007. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi, Tony. A friend from Petron emailed me (below) about your column which I forwarded to some friends. Thanks! Robin Tong, (by email), Nov.05, 2007 Abaya�s information is wrong. There are no LPG cylinders stored in the basement of Glorietta. There is an LPG tank outside the building and the LPG is piped in to the restaurants. I wonder who Abaya�s source is. It would be easy for him to verify the information he received from this source. The Ayala people would willingly entertain his queries. (My source says he works for a company that has done repairs in the premises. He says that a few days after the explosion, they were made by Ayala Land to sign a statement not to talk to media about the incident. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �Glorietta LPG Blast?� (Oct. 23, 2007) Hi Tony, All these items on the Glorietta blast and the media coverage, plus the ensuing varied reactions to the news--and rumors--tells us of the rumor culture of our people. It also shows the very low level responsibility of Philippine media. If the editors were more responsible, they would have been more thorough in their initial reporting. They should have been tighter in editing and should have made sure their reporters SAW REAL TRACES OF BOMB OR TRIGGERS OF THE BOMB. Bombs do not go off without any mechanism that triggers it to explode. I say this from my experience in covering the Korean War and the Vietnam War and the other insurgencies in the region for the defunct international news service (it was bought by UP and became UPI in 1958, and later sold to the Saudi Arabian royal family) and the Associated Press. Our Filipino culture lends us as a people to immediately quote a second or third hand source or "daws" or "kunos". and present crop of Filipino journalists have a tendency to be less inquisitive�as you and I have seen in these past three decades. Lesson: wait for the official finished reports. If the news must be reported on a daily basis, make sure it is plain that the sources are correctly identified and always caution against jumping to conclusions.until the local media become more responsible, these newspersons themselves is the greatest threat to local media credibility. Cheers Gil Santos, (by email), Nov. 03, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hello there, Tony. It's good to be back reading your emails. I've been away for a while and haven�t opened my mail for over a month. Anyway, I just sent that pathetic wimp blackie sartie a message telling him to go jump into the nearest lake after tying a rope tied to a big boulder around his neck. More power to you and God bless you and your family always. Regards. Jeremias Decena, (by email), Nov. 03, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, This is probably too late: I was amused by the reactions regarding the Glorieta explosion (to be euphemistic). I do not understand why many of us assume that if there are no traces of explosives (e.g. chemicals), then there could not have been a deliberate attack. This is what some friends from the military are telling me. I am just reminded on how creative Al Queada was during 9-11 (i.e. no bomb involved). While I am not assuming that there was a terrorist attack, do you think that some terrorist - with sufficient knowledge in advance chemistry - can use the existing chemicals beneath Glorieta to create an explosion. So much for our lateral thinking (sigh). Thanks once again. Eugene Earle, (by email), Nov.03, 2007 (That is not impossible. But what �advance chemistry� are you talking about here? If you posit a possibility, you must present more specific proofs about that possibility, in order to be credible. There may have been no �bomb� in 9/11, strictly speaking. But the aircraft themselves, fully gassed up for a transcontinental flight to the West Coast, WERE the bombs. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww RDX, Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine , is a secondary explosive similar to TNT, which would require an initiator for it explode. It will not explode spontaneously even if you light it with a match. LPG is pressurized gas composed mostly of propane, and some ethane in a cylinder. Propane gas is explosive and any small leak coming from the copper lines or through worn threads of the cylinder valve will tend to accumulate gas in the basement. Propane is a heavy gas and tends to accumulate near the bottom ground surface, so a small leak in the basement will not be detected by any maintenance personnel in the upper levels if no air draft carries the mercaptan odorant (rotten egg smell of LPG) up unless he goes down the stairs and stands on the basement flooring or room where the LPG cylinders are stored. Once enough volume is released, any static discharge from a starting non-intrinsically safe device like a sewage pump or a light switch will cause the propane vapor to explode. The consequent explosive energy is limited only to the volume that the propane vapor occupies. This is the reason why it is not safe to store an LPG cylinder inside buildings or basement. They need to be stored outside. Here are links to propane gas explosions that have occurred in the past: http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/case/propane-explosions.html Chester Montenegro , (by email), Malabo Island , Equatorial Guinea , West Africa , Nov. 03, 2007) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, It now looks like that Ayala is really in deep shit or "scheisse" as the Germans call it on the Glorietta 2 blast. A front-page story of the Sunday Inquirer today says " PNP confident of gas blast finding solid!" Ayala has already asked a friend of ours to fly in to Manila early next week to look into it. As you know, our friend has all the qualifications with his various engineering degrees. licenses, masters, doctoral and post-doctoral degrees - not to mention his wealth of experience in the private sector, academe (overseas), international organizations and government. He was Consultant to Ayala for 20 years in the 70s and 80s. I teased him to charge Ayala Land US $1,000.00/day!!! Regards. Ric Ramos, (by email), Santa Rosa , Laguna, Nov. 04, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to � Malaysia �s Success� (Oct. 25, 2007) Re: Francisco V/Piri's reaction response. Do you respond to the email yourself? I think you are too harsh in your "bolded" response. You need not scold the person.... it's uncalled for. He is not a writer/ journalist like you and you're not there to correct his grammar, punctuation, etc. You are not his teacher. He's merely responding to your commentary w/c you should be grateful for! I am sure he will drop out from reading your emails. I would! [email protected], Nov. 04, 2007 (Your point is well taken. On the other hand, I think letter-writers have a responsibility to go over their post, even only once, to check for typos, spelling etc., before pressing the Send button. It is a matter of courtesy to the publication they are sending their posts to. And I did say �please.� (As for errors of fact - � Ireland was a Third World country just like the Philippines � � and diatribes against the Catholic Church [on the mistaken assumption that I am a Catholic], would you really have let these pass without a response? I wouldn�t. (Incidentally, he has not �dropped out from reading your emails.� He continues to read and react, as you will see in other installments of these Reaction, now minus typos, etc. But he continues his harangues against the Catholic and other religions, linking them to the Glorietta blast and the call for snap elections. (See below) What sayest thou about your bigoted prot�g�? ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi, Your comments on francisco p/ viri's letter are apt, but, Tony, from 1990-1997 Mary Robinson was president, not prime minister. D. John Adams, (by email), United Kingdom , Nov. 04, 2007 (Thank you for the correction. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, The lack of discipline and determination are stumbling blocks that every Filipino must hurdle that must begin with their chosen leaders. Unfortunately Filipino voters always make bad and unintelligent choices every national and local elections. Getting independence from the Americans in 1946 and embracing a democratic way of life did not strengthen the country. The people weaken the system of government; the system did not. The country has been competitive with HK, Thailand , Singapore , and Malaysia many moons ago, but that is history. I think we are toe- to- toe with Indonesia but Vietnam is right behind our country and surging. Perhaps a bloody revolution that cleanses the country and wipes the sins of its leaders could bring a new beginning and salvation! Dr. Nestor P. Baylan, (by email), New York City , Nov. 05, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Mary Robinson was not prime minister but president of Ireland . She was in fact the 7th president of Ireland . There were four prime ministers during her presidential term. The last one was Bertie Ahern of Fianna Fail who is still prime minister of Ireland today. He is now the longest serving prime minister of Ireland or as the Irish call him the taoiseach. The present president of Ireland is Mary McAleese who was elected after Mary Robinson. McAleese is responsible for ridding the last vestige of Catholic Church power in Ireland . She went to the funeral of that Pope John Paul II. She even took communion. Two months later she signed the law kicking out all the catholic priests and nuns from the premises of the Irish public school system. The Irish film director Neil Jordan said in an interview that he was typical of the irish who just finished high school during the late sixties to become migrants. He could not find a job or oppurtunity in Ireland and had to go for a construction job in London . You should read Frank McCourt's book "Angela's Ashes". It is an autobiography of his childhood living in the slums of Limerick , Ireland in the 1940's. These slums were typical throughout Ireland . It describes the poverty and the temporary migrant jobs they used to get in English factories during WWII. Patrick McCabe's book "Butcher Boy" is a fictionalized account of growing up in Ireland during the 1960's. Also interesting descriptions of father having to work in London while mother goes insane at home. The republic of Ireland was essentially an agricultural country. The closest industrial product at that time was waterford crystal. Northern Ireland was industrialized but it remained U.K territory. And during the troubles the economy was going down the drain on both sides The Irish writer John B. Keane said that poverty was always there. So they fought for independence.They thought the Brits had something to do with it. He said in his interview that before independence the irish had to tip their hats to the english. After independence they had to tip their hats more to the preists. And the poverty was still there and people still had to leave the country in order to make a living. And the Irish have been doing it for over 150 years. Mary Robinson was a senator in the Dail for 20 years. However, as president (she ran as an independent backed by the Labor party and she had an alliance with Bertie Ahern who became prime minister in her last year of office) she achieved a lot of the things she fought for in those 20 years. Women's rights were increased. Women were not allowed to be part of juries for example. That got ammended. Contraceptives and family planning became available in the smallest villages in Ireland . Divorce was legalized. All political parties supported it. The general reason given was that if there was to be any hope for reunification with the north, they must show to the protestants in northern Ireland that they were no longer taking orders from the Vatican . In a BBC interview with Mary Robinson, she was asked when she abandoned her religion. Was it at Harvard where she went to law school? No when she was a teenager taking a summer program in Paris . She was playing a role later when she applied to Trinity in Dublin . In those days the catholic church considered it evil for a catholic to attend Trinity because it was established by Queen Elizabeth I. It was already being run like a secular school by then. However, Mary Robinson had to get a dispensation to be able to attend Trinity because she was still a nominal catholic from a catholic family. Today most of the intellectuals in Ireland are very open that they are mostly atheist and agnostics. Mary Robinson resigned from her presidency about 4 months early before her term ended. She was a canditate for the job of U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights. The other contender for the job was Corazon Aquino. The committee members concluded that Aquino was nothing more than a stooge of the Vatican . Robinson became the Comissioner for Human Rights. The Irish Times said recently that people should realize that Ireland has becomer a normal country. People don't have to leave Ireland to get a job anymore especially in the past 12 years or so. Ireland is now accepting immigrants. They remit 2 1/2 million euros a day from Ireland to their relatives in their home countries. The Republic of Ireland used to export wool, waterford crystals, and whiskey. Today Ireland is a major producer of machinery, chemicals and software. The Irish Times recently reported that the per capita income of Ireland has reached the equivalent of over US$ 41,500 as of last year. At par with the French and the Germans. The real estate prices in Dublin are now equivalent in general to the real estate prices in Manhattan , New York city. Bertie Ahern's party managed to survive a recent general election. One irish govt. official stated before the elections that young people in Ireland don't know how bad it used to be in Ireland . Do you think the Filipinos will eventually be able to replicate the irish experience? In order to do that we would have to confront those religions which control our people's lives. The irish had over 700 years of British rule and almost 800 years of the 'Catholic Restoration'. It took them a long time to snap out of it. It's like a rude awakening. The Irish writer W. Beckett once said, "god is dead, the bastard!" Sincerely yours, Francisco Viri, (by email), Nov. 08, 2007 (But Beckett is also dead. So they�re even. Don�t you have any other interests in life other than to harangue the Catholic Church and other religions? In the four posts you sent to this address, you gave vent to your hatred of the Catholic and other religions. Now that we know how you feel about the subject, we will not accept any more posts from you with the same repetitive message. ACA) OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |