Bomb found in Iloilo town comfort room

ILOILO CITY — Police are examining a bomb found inside a toilet in a town in Iloilo province on Monday to determine its maker.

A mobile phone, which was supposed to be a triggering device, was attached to the explosive that was wrapped in electrical tape. Police however said the phone did not have a battery and a SIM card.

The explosive was found at 7:40 a.m. by janitor Marcial Genacias inside the toilet of the gym of Pavia town, some 10 kilometers north of here. At that time, employees were assembling in the area for their regular Monday flag ceremonies.

“As of now we are clueless of the motive, I am requesting the authorities to conduct further investigations,” Mayor Michael Gorriceta said in an interview of RMN-Iloilo.

The improvised explosive device was brought to the crime laboratory at Camp Martin Delgado, headquarters of the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas, for examination.

SPO1 Roger Patingo, Pavia police investigator, said a text message was received by the mayor’s secretary, Myrna Solinap, before the flag ceremony that a bomb would explode near the toilet outside the gym.