Bomb components found at NAIA cargo terminal

Two bomb components placed inside a package were intercepted by alert PNP Aviation Security Group operatives at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) International Cargo Terminal early yesterday.

Retired Brig. Gen. Angel Atutubo, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) assistant general manager for security and emergency services, said five rolls of detonation cords measuring 500 meters and five small boxes containing 5,000 non-electric blasting caps were found inside an LBC parcel at around 12:40 a.m.

The discovery came after X-ray operators Roy Sagaysay, Mary Tumbos and Celso Virador alerted police about a suspicious parcel that went through the X-ray machine during route scanning of packages at the ICT.

The trio alerted Senior Police Officer 2 Sonny Fran of the PNP-ASG, who decided to open the package for a more thorough inspection with the go-signal of LBC representative Ronaldo Juanico.

Chief Superintendent Andres Caro, PNP-ASG director, said the package was consigned to a certain Crissanto Penaco of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan while the sender was identified as Adela Reyes of San Pedro, Laguna.

Caro said the names could be fictitious since the LBC parcel, reportedly to be boarded to a regular flight on a plane going to Puerto Princesa, Palawan, had no declared address and only had a package number for claiming.

A follow-up operation is now being conducted.