Unfinished bombs, bomb-making materials unearthed in Cotabato

KIDAPAWAN CITY –– Police and military forces have unearthed at least two improvised bombs and bomb components in a remote village of Matalam town in Cotabato Tuesday afternoon.

Major Joseph Brian Placer, Matalam police chief, said the explosives were found buried in a shallow pit beside the tomb of the late Edriqueta Cabaya in Sitio New Leon of Barangay Latagan, some 30 kilometers from the town center.

Placer said the operation was conducted after receiving reports that armed men were massing in the area and assembling improvised bombs.

When the joint police and military team arrived in New Leon, the armed men were no longer there.

But when they scoured the area, Placer claimed that the team noticed some pieces of wiring left in one spot that when dug, turned out to contain the bomb components and two unfinished improvised bombs.

The improvised bombs made use of PVC pipes, the kind usually used in roadside bombing attacks, Placer added.

Also recovered in the pit were an electronic tester, 22-meter long electrical wires, and 10 batteries.

The materials are now with the military’s Explosives and Ordnance Disposal team based in Kidapawan./lzb