MANILA, Philippines — One year and 2 million liters of gasoline, kerosene, lpg, and aviation fuel after the West Tower pipeline leaks in Bangkal, Makati, residents of the condo have filed a P2 billion damage suit against the company that owns the 117km pipe that runs underground from Batangas to Pandacan, Manila.

Bangkal was given a P320M calamity fund by the local government, but as Thelma Santos told Bulong Pulungan, “We got the calamity, somebody got the fund.”

The nauseating smell of the fumes was what first alerted the residents to the five pinpoint leaks in June 2010. Since then they claim they have spent P8M to pump out the fuel, they have abandoned the condo, demanded payment from First Philippine Industrial Corp. for the health scare and for polluting the environment, and won a Writ of Kalikasan from the Supreme Court ordering FPIC to pay up and fix the pipeline.

FPIC’s offer to West Tower is P10,800/sq m; residents say the market price is P50,000. Former Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera, an accidental visitor at Bulong, gave the residents an unexpected but friendly piece of advice: “Grab it” and “be kind” that SC acted so swiftly in their favor.