Bomb found in Malabon junk shop

The Malabon City police are investigating the discovery of a discarded bomb that allegedly came from a hotel lobby in Manila and turned up at a junk shop in the city yesterday morning.

"My men are now conducting an investigation at the Ramada Hotel in Malate, Manila, where the bomb reportedly came from," Malabon police chief Superintendent Moises Guevarra told The STAR.

Guevarra said that the explosive device was found by residents in front of a junk shop on Paez Extension in Barangay Concepcion at around 10 a.m. after it was discarded by the shop’s workers, who were afraid that it could still explode.

"My men retrieved the bomb and its components already scattered on the street. It was composed of 10 sticks of dynamite weighing around two and a half kilos, with wiring and detonating parts," Guevarra said.

He said three scavengers from Malabon City collected the explosives placed inside a "big can" from the lobby of Ramada Hotel, thinking it was scrap metal. They then sold it to the junk shop in Barangay Concepcion.

"These men are already with us," Guevarra said.

The bomb was accidentally discovered by the workers who were segregating scrap metal inside their junk shop.

Residents of Paez Extension, alarmed by the presence of the explosive device in their area, immediately called for police assistance.

Northern Police District director Senior Superintendent Raul Gonzales said yesterday the bomb and its components are still being "checked" by members of the NPD’s Explosive and Ordnance Division (EOD).

"We have it checked to determine its components," Gonzales said.

Police sources claimed that the bomb could destroy a medium rise building if it exploded.