Police detonate hundreds of vintage bombs; explosions shake residents

ORMOC CITY, Philippines – Hundreds of vintage bombs were detonated in two sites in this city by Members of the Explosives and Ordnance Unit of the Police Regional Office-8 last afternoon of Jan. 5.

The blasts, however, have allegedly caused panic among residents and even damages to some properties in the areas surrounding the sites, and reportedly resonated up to neighboring towns of Albuera and Merida.

The mass detonation was done in two instances, first at a river in sitio Kahayag of Barangay Macabug at around 5:00 p.m. and later in the day at Brgy. Ipil, also in this city.

The detonation in Macabug reportedly caused some glass windows of houses to crack including those of parked cars in the area, as shrapnel and stones in the river were strewn to as far as 300 meters away.

At Ipil, the people reportedly panicked and went out of the streets, while owners of tall buildings complained that the blast was so powerful to cause the edifices to shake.

There were allegations that barangay officials of Macabug were not properly informed of the detonation, and that only barangay secretary Edilberto Barcelo was present to witness it.

Senior Supt. Elizar Egloso, director of the Ormoc City Police Office whose members escorted the EOD experts and helped secure the area of detonation, however insisted that his office had notified the barangay offices where the bomb disposal was to be executed.

Egloso said an estimated 100 bombs of World War II vintage, mostly anti-aircraft missiles and mortars found in various parts of the city over a span of years and stockpiled at the police camp, were disposed of because it posed a hazard to them and the populated barrio of Camp Downes already.

Egloso said that, several months ago, the stockpile began emitting smoke creating panic among the police, Army and Camp Downes residents, and this prompted him to decide to have the bombs disposed.

Before the bombs were set off, a bulldozer excavated first a big hole in the river where the bombs were to be laid on for the detonation by EOD personnel, led by a certain SPO3 Enriquez. (FREEMAN)