jester-in-exile, like tongue’s wrath, doesn’t buy the accidental gas build-up/explosion theory propounded by gloria’s investigators. concludes jester:

…it takes a lot to ignite diesel and methane vapor, even in a confined environment, and the confined environment itself has factors that militate against the ignition of the flammable vapor (e.g., the velocity of the aircon exhaust roiling and disturbing the air inside the confined environment, the absence of any pressurization in the diesel tank or septic tank that would cause flammable vapor to accumulate much too rapidly for the vapor to be dispersed into outside air). Thus, it seems to me that it’s fairly unlikely that this was a simple case of an industrial accident. Okay, it MAY BE an industrial accident, but it was probably STAGED.

looking forward to jester’s follow-up episode of csi makati. meanwhile it’s been two weeks since the blast and according to the australian experts, there’s still this much to do:

To fully determine the cause of the blast, Australian experts also advised its counterparts to: examine the floor area of basement to determine the extent of the damage; engage independent appropriate engineers/experts to examine machinery including septic pump, exhaust system, diesel tank, control panel switches and pumps; examine CCTV footage; examine maintenance records of Glorietta 2; ensure that all relevant witness statements would be collected and evaluated for significant information; examine post-mortem reports, including location of deceased, among others.

and meanwhile, there’s definitely a karmic quality to the woes of the makati-based ayala conglomerate. it is no secret that the makati elite have long been trying replace mayor binay with one of their own, such as toro yabut in ’98 and edu manzano in 2001, to no avail. it is also said that mayor binay has been at odds with the ayala group over certain taxes that the ayalas refuse to pay, such as taxes on passive incomes generated by cash reserves.

a pity. this is a time when the ayala group and the mayor should be joining forces, get an independent probe going, let the chips fall where they may. kung gas explosion nga pala, na accident or due to negligence, which would mean city hall is liable, too, for giving glorietta 2 a clean bill of health, so to speak, then how great if they would also somehow share with ayala land inc. the costs of indemnifying the victims and their families than fight over who is more accountable.

but who knows, they just might surprise us, hope springs eternal.