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