PRESIDENT Fidel Ramos yesterday visited the smouldering rubble of the Manila discotheque where at least 150 people perished in a fire on Monday night.
"We must make sure that there is no recurrence of this. This is a terrible tragedy," the president said.
Mr Ramos ordered ministers to pinpoint responsibility and locate and close all establishments that violate fire safety rules.
Most of his island country was in shock after 150 people were killed and 105 injured in the inferno in suburban Manila. Most of the victims were teenagers crushed in a stampede to a single small, exit.
What should have been a celebration for many graduating high school seniors ended as the country's worst fire disaster in 50 years.
Officials said the exits of Ozone disco in the Manila suburb of Quezon City were inadequate and the dancers had been trapped. Survivors said there were only two small doors, one in front which served as exit and entrance, and another at the back.
Congress opened its own inquiry, with the Senate minority leader, Mr Edgardo Angara, calling the tragedy "plain and simple murder". He said he held local officials responsible for their alleged "incompetence and negligence".
But Mr Hermilo Ocampo, head of the company that managed the disco, showed local television what he said was a five year old fire certificate given by the local authorities. "We haven't renovated the place," he said.
"It just so happened that the smoke was so thick. It was dark, the lights were off and the people in front had nowhere to run, so they panicked," Mr Ocampo said denying reports that he planned to flee abroad.
He admitted that employees had managed to use the back entrance to escape. The local deputy fire marshal, Mr Carlito Romero, said there were no direction signs to the back door exit.
Mr Romero said the blaze began at the disc jockey's booth, which was on one corner of the L shaped disco.
A fireman, Mr Dante Madera, said the sparks could have been caused by a short circuit in the electrical system. The fire spread quickly across the dance floor because the rubber acoustic board and styrofoam on the ceiling were "flammable".
Many relatives were at a loss as to where victims had ended up as they had been distributed among several mortuaries.
"We don't know whether she's dead or alive. We can't tell because all of the burnt bodies are beyond recognition," a weeping woman, Ms Cristina Pangindian, told reporters as she searched for her 17 year old daughter, Maricar. The girl had gone to the club with a friend who managed to escape the inferno.
Ms Susan Malolo (35), wept as she and her husband went from one hospital to another looking for their only child, Dorothy (15).
Ms Malolo said her daughter had beeped her father on his pager late on Monday to tell him she was at the Ozone.
"Papa, I am at birthday party. I will be home soon," her message read.