Grenade hurled, not dug by dog—police

MANILA, Philippines—Somebody hurled the grenade and not simply dug by a dog as earlier theorized by police.

The hand grenade that exploded underneath a house in Pangasinan Thursday evening was intentionally thrown, said Chief Inspector Bonifacio Gannaban, Laoac, Pangasinan chief of police.

The blast left Sarah Padaoan, 35, and her children Fredalyn, 13, Simon, 11, Alfredo Jr., 10, Roderick, 8, and John Carl, 3, injured.

A dog was found lifeless near a crater created by the blast, leaving investigators to suspect the canine could have dug the unexploded grenade buried below the Padaoan residence.

But Gannaban said that based on the investigation made by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, the grenade would not go off even if dug by a dog.

“Itinapon talaga [It was really thrown] . . . Sabi niya [EOD] hindi yan sasabog kahit makalkal ng aso. [The EOD said it will not explode even if it was excavated by the dog],” Gannaban said.

Gannaban said that two grenades were hurled but only one exploded. The other grenade was later disposed by the EOD team.

He also said that the size of the crater created by the blast was comparable to the size of an opened palm.

Gannaban said that the father was unhurt because he was washing outside the house as they had just finished supper.

The hand grenade went off around 7 p.m.  underneath the residence of the Padaoan family in Barangay (village) Calmay, Laoac.

The victims were all rushed to the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital in San Carlos City.