By Roy Ramos
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines
Nine men were convicted Thursday on charges relating to a 1996 Philippines nightclub fire that left 162 dead.
In a statement, the People’s Advocate Court in Manila said the seven former safety officials and two businessmen were sentenced to between six and 10 years in jail.
An estimated 400 people, mostly high school and college students celebrating the end of the academic year, were inside the Ozone Dance Club, Quezon City, on March 18 1996 when the fire broke out.
Many of the blackened bodies were found piled waist-high in a corridor leading to the only exit.
The high death toll was attributed to the building’s structural faults and lack of fire safety measures at the disco, which had passed city inspections.
The blaze, described at the time as the deadliest in Philippine history, highlighted the issue of lax safety regulation in a country where fatal building fires are common. Then President Fidel Ramos visited the scene of the catastrophe.
The officials convicted, who were no present in court, formerly worked for the municipal authority while the two businessmen were senior figures at Westwood Entertainment, the club’s owner. They will not be jailed until the appeals process is exhausted.
Many survivors, some of whom have died since the fire, criticized the length of time it has taken to bring the case to court. They also expressed concerns that some of those convicted may have left the Philippines.
In its ruling, the court said the convicted men had conspired to secure safety permits for the disco without conducting proper checks.
The judgement read: “There can never be a slapdash approval of a building permit and certificate of occupancy. To shrink from this duty will certainly run at risk all safety standards contemplated by the National Building Code.”
Survivors told investigators they saw sparks inside the DJ's booth shortly after midnight, followed by smoke which they took to be part of the show. Within minutes, flames had engulfed the club, causing a mezzanine to collapse on revellers.
An inquiry found that the club's emergency exit was blocked by a newly constructed neighboring building. It had also been locked from the outside by the club's security staff.
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