Muntinlupa City Representative Ruffy Biazon on Monday slammed the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, for overextending its authority in allowing casinos to operate even without a valid Fire Safety Inspection Certificate from the Bureau of Fire Protection.
Biazon made the statement after Resorts World Manila recently reopened after the tragic deaths of 38 persons during a June 2 attack.
“We believe they [Peza officials] are overextending their authority. They are misreading the law by saying that they have authority to issue a Fire Safety Inspection Certificate,” said Biazon during the Samahang Plaridel, Kapihan sa Manila Hotel.
“But, what we see in the law, [Peza has no authority],” said Biazon, senior vice chairman of the House committee on national defense and security. “They have no legal basis. They are hanging on a law which has already been repealed by a new law passed by Congress. There is no need for a new law, because there is a law on this, the Fire Code of the Philippines,” Biazon said.
Biazon noted the importance of the FSIC since 37 of the 38 fatalities in the RWM June 2 tragedy died of suffocation as a result of thick smoke from the fire caused by the lone gunman identified as Jessie Carlos.
Biazon pointed out that Peza’s authority to issue such permit was already repealed by the new Fire Code of the Philippines which empowered the BFP to administer the issuance of fire safety permits.
“PEZA is insisting that it should not be applied to them, so that’s what we should correct, the mistake made by PEZA. We firmly believe that the law is against them on this issue. They are insisting on the authority, but they have no authority,” Biazon said.
Biazon also asked RWM if it has already secured a valid FSIC from the BFP after it reopened its gaming area recently.
“The people died due to smoke inhalation. So one of those we focused on was the issue whether or not Resorts World had a valid fire safety inspection certificate. It turns out they had none. Because they refused to be inspected by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), citing what PEZA is saying,” he said.
“But during the congressional hearing PEZA said they did not issue a fire safety inspection certificate because it is not in their jurisdiction,” he said. “That’s why we raised the point, will PAGCOR still allow casinos under PEZA even if they have no fire safety inspection certificate? So our concern is, now that Resorts World opened, do they have a valid fire safety inspection certificate? And that question is extended to all other establishments of PEZA,” said Biazon.
“So, it’s a problem during the congressional inquiries that we should really look into. It means that similar establishments have no valid fire safety inspection certificates,” he said.
The FSIC is a pre-requisite prior to the issuance of Occupancy Permit and signifies that the owner/administrator significantly complied with the standard requirements recommended by the Fire Safety Inspector/Fire Safety Plan Reviewer of the establishment.
Biazon added that if the BFP was allowed to inspect and issue the necessary permits, the incident last June 2 could not have been disastrous.
“For example if the Bureau of Fire and Protection was part of the inspection, they would have been familiar in the physical structure of building, they could have done better in their firefighting during the incident, but there was none,” Biazon said.
During the House joint probe on tragedy, Biazon said the RWM refused to be inspected by the BFP because their place is under the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) which purportedly has jurisdiction in the issuance of the said permit being one of its regulated establishments.
But PAGCOR said the Travellers International Hotel Group Inc. (TIHGI), owner and developer of RWM, had complied with required security and safety improvements.