Bomb at C-5 gas station fails to explode

A group of armed men threw an improvised explosive device at the parking area of a gas station along C-5 Road in Taguig City before dawn yesterday, sending a police bomb squad scrambling to the scene.

Senior Police Officer 2 Francisco Baroña led an Explosives Ordnance Division (EOD)-Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) that rushed to the scene to retrieve the bomb, which failed to explode after it was hurled at about 2 a.m.

Witnesses said the suspects were on board a gold Ford Expedition and a gray BMW.

Pamfilo Tapil, the security guard of the gas station said shortly before the bomb was thrown, he noticed two vehicles without license plates parked in front of the establishment’s convenience store. The two vehicles sped off after one of the occupants threw the device.

Tapil then informed Jason Hernandes, chief supervisor of the gas station, that a bomb may have been thrown and called for police assistance.

The EOD team conducted an ocular inspection of the scene and found a black device similar to an anti-riot gas grenade without body markings. The safety pin was missing.

The team conducted an RSP (Render Safe Procedure) and carried the device to a safe place.

Baroña said since there was no pin, the suspects had intended for it to explode.

"Fortunately, it misfired. It did not explode," Baroña said.