MANILA (PNA) — The Makati city government on Friday extended for seven days the deadline for the management of West Tower in Barangay Bangkal to siphon off the water at the basement of the condominium.

City Engineer Nelson Morales said the city decided to extend the deadline after condominium residents issued an appeal, citing the apparent mismanagement of the condominium and their lack of financial resources at the moment to meet the deadline.

“We understand the situation of the unit owners who apparently have been abandoned by their building administrator. We will give the building management until Friday next week, but there will be no more extension," he said.

Should the management again fail to meet the new deadline, Morales said the city will have no other recourse but to revoke the condominium’s occupancy and building permit.

Earlier, the city engineer said the condominium management had been negligent and allowed water to accumulate at the basement.

The water had prevented authorities from fully determining the cause of the gas leak which has forced the city to order an evacuation of the building.

Morales said city engineers uncovered a possible violation of the Building Code on the part of the building administration.

Morales said buildings are required by law to have a separate motor for their sewerage treatment plant (STP) but in the case of West Tower, the condominium apparently did not have a functioning motor for their STP and apparently had one motor being shared by the sump pit and the STP, which is not allowed.

Morales said after city engineers ordered management to shut off the motor for the sump pit, the water from the STP began to rise which should not have happened had there been a separate functioning motor.

If found guilty of violating building code provision for inadequate maintenance of mechanical equipment, the City Engineer’s Office can order the closure of the building.

As of Friday, Morales said there was a marked absence of any smell of gas fuel.

But with the smell of gasoline returning to the area outside the condominium, the city warned that the management may be cited for improperly disposing the mixture of petroleum and water from the basement. Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. ordered the city Department of Environment Services (DES) to investigate the matter and give a report within 24 hours.

The management faces a penalty of imprisonment not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding P1,000 or both depending on the discretion of the court for violating Chapter 17 of the Sanitation Code of the Philippines.

Morales also decried the absence of the building administrator, Vicente Clado, who has been inaccessible since Friday.

The city engineer said he has been calling up the building administrator to discuss the situation but the latter could not be reached.

The city government had earlier ruled out the pipelines from the First Philippines Industrial Corporation as the source of the gas leak, which has prompted the city to order an evacuation of the condominium and a thorough test on water samples in the area.