The soldiers of the 30th Infantry Battalion and Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team in Surigao del Norte supervised the disposal of six pieces of unexploded ordnance (UXOs) and 53 improvised explosive devices on Saturday, June 15.
1Lt. Ken Enciso, the Civil-Military Operations officer of the 30th IB, said the bombs were recovered from 2013 to 2019 after different encounters with the communist guerrillas. They were turned over by the different elements, police officers, and civilians for to the Army for safekeeping.
The Army disposed of the following: two UXOs of 105mm howitzer; two UXOs of 60mm mortar; one rifle grenade, one hand grenade, one gallon IED, 10 PVC pipe bombs, 21 GI pipe bombs, 12 dual blasting caps, and four directional IED mines.
The UXO refers to are bombs that did not explode but still pose a risk to civilians.
“UXOs and IEDs are hazardous items, for the safety of everyone, we called the EOD team for proper disposal of the said UXOs and IEDs to prevent damage to life and property, after which we immediately coordinated for a safe place to dispose it away from the civilian populace, ” Lt Col. Allen Raymund C. Tomas, commanding officer of the 30th IB, said.
“I call on the attention of all Surigaonons, if ever you have seen UXOs and IEDs, please report immediately to the nearest PNP or Army station so we can call EOD experts to handle the situation to prevent loss of life and damage,” Tomas said.
