Mandaue bombs: Why is it taking so long to dispose?
A WEEK has passed since a businessman disclosed the location of 385 World War II bombs stockpiled in the company premises and had them moved to the scrap yard of Ting Guan Trading Corp. in barangay Looc, Mandaue City.
Military officials in the Central Command who offered to send experts to help dispose of them said they were still waiting for a request from the Provincial Police Office (PRO 7) to coordinate the job.
Looc barangay captain Raul Cabahug said he plans to meet Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes today to speed up official action.
He said people in his neighborhood were anxious about the bombs placed there.
“Ambot og unsay hinungdan nga wala man sad gyud mopahibalo ang Police Regional Office kon unsa nay status sa pagkuha ani diri,.” Cabahug said.
(I don’t know what is the reason the Police Regional Office is not giving us information about the plan to remove the bombs here.)
Jaime Daño, 55, who lives near the metal scrap yard said he and his neighbors have complained why the police brought the vintage bombs to their area without consulting them.
James Goforth, chief of operations of the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO), earlier said they entrusted R3 (Operations Division) of the Police Regional Office to communicate with the Central Command for the proper disposal of the bombs since local police are not bomb experts.
Mandaue City Councilor Diosdado Suico said he will looki into the matter and see what is keeping the concerned agencies from removing the bombs.
“In our Wednesday council session, I will raise this issue to call the attention of concerned authorities about this problem,” Suico said.
Centcom spokesman Lt. Christopher Tampus in an interview said that their operations department has not received any written or verbal request from PRO 7 on this.
He said the military is willing to provide personnel from the 2nd Explosive Ordnance Division (EOD) but that any request to secure C3 or military-grade explosives to detonate the combs would require clearance from central headquarters in Manila.
Tampus earlier said that commercially produced explosives may do the job but he couldn’t say for sure until military bomb experts inspect the pieces.
The 385 ordnances are being kept in fenced off scrap yard of Ting Guan Trading Corp. near the wharf.
The trading firm which exports scrap metal has not issued any statement to the media on this matter. /Norman V. Mendoza, Correspondent
