A TOTAL of 617 Unexploded Explosive Ordnance or UXOs including World War 2 bombs and other military explosives powerful enough to level small buildings and bring a catastrophe were detonated by the National Capital Region Police Office at the Gunnery Range in Crow Valley in Capas, Tarlac last Friday, NCRPO director, Major General Debold M. Sinas announced yesterday.
“This is part of our effort to properly dispose of these UXOs which poses a great peril to the safety of the community,” said Sinas as he led the destruction of the UXOs which include remnants of World War 2 or those used by Filipino-American and Japanese forces as they battle each other in the country from 1941 to 1945 as well as abandoned cache of military ordnances including mortar rockets, grenades, small arms ammunition, blasting caps and seized pyrotechnics, firecrackers and flares and artillery shells.
Sinas added that some of the explosives were recorded during police operations or were unearthed in construction sites and were temporarily stored in makeshift storage areas of NCRPO operating units such as their District Explosive and Canine Unit (DECU) and Station Explosive and Canine Unit (SECU).
“This condition is highly prejudicial to the surrounding community and nearby areas,” the official said in noting that an accidental or premature explosion of the UXOs could trigger massive explosions and shock waves that could bring great damage to lives, limbs and properties.
The largest of the destroyed UXOs were 1,000-pound General Purpose Bomb used in WWII.
Sinas said the safe disposal of the explosive devices was done by expert NCRPO-EOD personnel who were exceptionally trained in the methods, skills and procedures in locating and rendering safe all types of explosive ordnance
