Bomb found near school
AN IMPROVISED explosive device was found 15 meters away from an elementary school at Barangay Vicente Hizon, Davao City, on Wednesday afternoon.
Sasa Police station Chief Joselito Loriza said the 81mm mortar improvised explosive device was discovered around 2:30 p.m. at the back of Vicente Hizon Elementary School.
"Ang unang nakakita is katong nagtugway ug baka and sinabihan niya 'yung kaibigan niya na retired air force and 'yun ang tumawag ng team ng bomb experts ng air force (The one who found it was a man who was bringing his cow to pasture and he told his friend who is a retired air force personnel, who in turn reported the sighting to bomb experts of the air force)," Loriza said.
He said that when the team from the air force confirmed the information, they reported it to his office and he called up the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (Satu) of the Davao City Police Office.
"Pumunta na kami sa area and 'yung taga air force and Satu na ang nag detonate ng bomb (We went to the area. The air force and Satu were the ones who detonate the bomb)," Loriza said.
She added that the bomb was probably intended for the celebration of the Kadayawan Festival last week.
"Sa higpit ng checkpoints natin dito, siguro nag-alanganin sila but intended na gamitin ito sa Kadayawan. Masyadong strict ang checkpoint so, iniwan nila. Wala talagang tao sa likod ng school, grassy and vacant so 'dun na lang iniwan (Due to tight checkpoints here, they probably hesitated but could have intended to use it on Kadayawan. The checkpoint is strict so they left it. The back portion of the school is grassy and vacant that is why it was left there)," Loriza said.
According to her, they have not yet identified the group behind the explosive device.
Hizon Elementary School principal Filipinas Samblingo meanwhile said that when she was told that a bomb was found at the back of their school, she advised students to vacate their rooms.
"Nanggawas pud ang mga bata kay abi pud nila na naay games ug naay bisita. Paggawas nila, naglinya pud tawon sila kay kung naay mga ana man gud, organized na gyud na sila (The children were made to leave their classrooms in the belief that there were some games or visitors. But when they learned otherwise, they just lined up)," Samblingo told Sun.Star Davao.
She said they gathered the students at their evacuation center.
"Kining front sa school, intended gyud na sila pag naay mga earthquakes ug mga sunog. Ang mga bata, gi-assist lang sa mga teachers nila, nakabalo sila paggawas na nila sa school mismo. Ang mga parents, naa ra man pud sa gawas so gipagawas na lang gyud tanan (The front part of the school is intended for evacuations for earthquakes and fire. The children were assisted by the teachers while the parents were waiting outside)," Samblingo said.
Samblingo said their school has 2,448 grades 1-6 and 250 kindergarten pupils.
"Sa kadaghan sa mga estudyante namo, maglisod gyud mi pero naa man ang mga teachers nila, sila nag agak sa mga estudyante pagawas (With the sheer number of our children, it would be difficult to evacuate them, but we have the teachers to assist them and led them out)," she said.
Classes were then suspended after the incident, said Samblingo.
AN IMPROVISED explosive device was found 15 meters away from an elementary school at Barangay Vicente Hizon, Davao City, on Wednesday afternoon.
Sasa Police station Chief Joselito Loriza said the 81mm mortar improvised explosive device was discovered around 2:30 p.m. at the back of Vicente Hizon Elementary School.
"Ang unang nakakita is katong nagtugway ug baka and sinabihan niya 'yung kaibigan niya na retired air force and 'yun ang tumawag ng team ng bomb experts ng air force (The one who found it was a man who was bringing his cow to pasture and he told his friend who is a retired air force personnel, who in turn reported the sighting to bomb experts of the air force)," Loriza said.
He said that when the team from the air force confirmed the information, they reported it to his office and he called up the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (Satu) of the Davao City Police Office.
"Pumunta na kami sa area and 'yung taga air force and Satu na ang nag detonate ng bomb (We went to the area. The air force and Satu were the ones who detonate the bomb)," Loriza said.
She added that the bomb was probably intended for the celebration of the Kadayawan Festival last week.
"Sa higpit ng checkpoints natin dito, siguro nag-alanganin sila but intended na gamitin ito sa Kadayawan. Masyadong strict ang checkpoint so, iniwan nila. Wala talagang tao sa likod ng school, grassy and vacant so 'dun na lang iniwan (Due to tight checkpoints here, they probably hesitated but could have intended to use it on Kadayawan. The checkpoint is strict so they left it. The back portion of the school is grassy and vacant that is why it was left there)," Loriza said.
According to her, they have not yet identified the group behind the explosive device.
Hizon Elementary School principal Filipinas Samblingo meanwhile said that when she was told that a bomb was found at the back of their school, she advised students to vacate their rooms.
"Nanggawas pud ang mga bata kay abi pud nila na naay games ug naay bisita. Paggawas nila, naglinya pud tawon sila kay kung naay mga ana man gud, organized na gyud na sila (The children were made to leave their classrooms in the belief that there were some games or visitors. But when they learned otherwise, they just lined up)," Samblingo told Sun.Star Davao.
She said they gathered the students at their evacuation center.
"Kining front sa school, intended gyud na sila pag naay mga earthquakes ug mga sunog. Ang mga bata, gi-assist lang sa mga teachers nila, nakabalo sila paggawas na nila sa school mismo. Ang mga parents, naa ra man pud sa gawas so gipagawas na lang gyud tanan (The front part of the school is intended for evacuations for earthquakes and fire. The children were assisted by the teachers while the parents were waiting outside)," Samblingo said.
Samblingo said their school has 2,448 grades 1-6 and 250 kindergarten pupils.
"Sa kadaghan sa mga estudyante namo, maglisod gyud mi pero naa man ang mga teachers nila, sila nag agak sa mga estudyante pagawas (With the sheer number of our children, it would be difficult to evacuate them, but we have the teachers to assist them and led them out)," she said.
Classes were then suspended after the incident, said Samblingo.