K9 reaction prompts seizure of detonating cord

DUMAGUETE CITY—The Coast Guard here intercepted on Thursday 300 meters of detonating cord that could be used for underwater blasting or for explosive devices.

The red detonating cord was found by the Coast Guard’s bomb-sniffing dog inside an empty oil pail with its top covered by a cloth and labeled as “mango.”

“The dog was uneasy around the pail, which was unattended in the area. Our personnel then cordoned the place. Our K9 sat beside the pail, which signals to us that there is an explosive inside it,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Nelson Simbajon, of the Coast Guard Dumaguete City station.

Simbajon said the detonating cord was loaded in a bus bound for Dapitan.

The cargo was handed over to employees at the bus terminal by a man who told them that the cargo would be picked up by someone in Dapitan.

Simbajon said members of the Military Intelligence Group in Central Visayas inspected the detonating cord and found that it was manufactured in Indonesia.

Authorities have been on heightened alert after police intercepted high-powered firearms last week at the Dumaguete City Port. Carine M. Asutilla, Inquirer Visayas