More C-4 needed to blow up vintage bombs in Toledo pit

Can the military spare more C4?

A rush request was made to the military for more C4 explosives after  only one of 25 World War II bombs was successfully detonated yesterday morning.

A limited amount of the plastic explosive was used for testing in the abandoned Biga mining pit in Toledo City past 11 a.m.

Cebu City officials were forced to make a sudden change of plans after finding out that a “booster” charge used from industrial supplies of the Carmen Copper Corp. was not strong enough to crack a one-inch metal plate during a field test last Friday.

C4 or Composition 4 is  a type of plastic explosive commonly used by the Armed Forces, but its supply is restricted to military operations.

Philip Zafra, chief of staff of the Cebu City mayor, said he quickly prepared a letter to  Camp Aguinaldo, which was coursed through the Cebu-based Central Command.

“Dili sad kuno basta-basta mapagawas ang C4 kay lisud na pag-justify  (They don’t  readily release C4 because it’s difficult to justify),” he said.

About 125 pounds of C4 are needed to demolish the remaining 24 vintage bombs, according to one estimate.

Request

The destruction of the World War II bombs, which were excavated last Monday  from the shoreline of Kawit Island in Cebu City, has become a high-priority joint effort of the Cebu city government, police,  the Centcom’s Explosive Ordnance Division (EOD), a  private contractor that found the bombs, and the Toledo-based mining company that offered its abandoned pit and industrial-grade explosives.

Cebu City Rep. Tomas Osmeña said he could help request top military commanders to release C4 supplies.

“I’m willing to help.  They just have to tell me how many pounds they need,” he told Cebu Daily News.

Osmeña is vice chairman of the House budget committee for military affairs.

“I know a lot of people I could go to but I would need a request from them (Centcom).”

The test detonation took place at 11.30 a.m.

Black smoke emerged from the spot where one bomb was buried in the ground followed by two loud explosions.

The blast left a crater 13 feet wide and three feet deep.

No effect

The C4 exploded first and then the WWII bomb, said SWAT team leader Senior Insp. Sandley Sabang, who set up the explosive with the military EOD team headed by Maj. Carlito Lachica.

A 32-foot detonating cord, tin cap and blasting cap were also used.

The bomb was buried in a five-foot-deep hole dug in the ground.

Observers, including the media, stayed at a watch post three kilometers away.

The impact was less destructive than the one made earlier using the industrial-grade booster of the mining firm, said Josue Bordon, assistant VP for Mines of CCC.

He said the impact “is very minimal,” or it has no effect.

“There’s no effect for instance on the people, or on the facilities we have here.”

“If you look at the crater (left by the blast), it has uniform forms, which means a good blasting. This is just a small one. When we blast, we blast a series of hundred holes.  The effect is really to collapse the part of the mountain, in order to fragment the soil and stone. The finer the fragment, the better,” Bordon said.

Blessing in disguise

Cebu City officials first planned to detonate all 25 bombs but the booster charge they tested Friday did not pass the Armed Forces’ standard.

Zafra said the test was a blessing in disguise because they know better know how to calculate how many pounds of explosives are needed.

“All the vintage bombs discovered weigh more or less 3,000 pounds,” he added.

The bomb that blew up yesterday weighed 150 pounds.

On Monday, he said they will present an assessment report with the military and also wait for the input of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. With Doris Boncac and Chito Aragon