JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II on Tuesday directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to determine possible culpabilities of government and private entities in the fire at the Waterfront Manila Pavilion Hotel and Casino that left five persons dead. In his Department Order 160, Aguirre said the NBI should determine the facts and circumstances that led to the incident.
Aguirre, in particular, wants the NBI to investigate whether there is criminal, civil, administrative culpability on any agency, office and instrumentality of the government. The NBI investigates the owners, managers and employees of Manila Pavilion and files appropriate charges if evidence would warrant. The fire broke out last Sunday at around 9:30 a.m., and authorities only managed to declare fire out the next day. Among the fatalities were four employees of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. employees and another unidentified corpse recovered near the hotel’s closed-circuit television room.
Reports said the blaze started at the ground floor and spread to the rest of the 22-story hotel.
Initial probe also showed that the hotel’s sprinkler system failed to function, making it difficult for the firefighters to immediately put out the fire.