AN unexploded vintage bomb was unearthed by a backhoe operator in a construction site between a mall and the Cebu South Bus Terminal on Natalio Bacalso Ave., Cebu City Wednesday morning.
The bomb, believed to be a remnant dating back to World War II, is now in the custody of Cebu City Police Office (CCPO)-Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat).
Senior Superintendent Joel Doria, CCPO director, said his office already coordinated with the Central Command, which has explosive and ordnance disposal technicians to detonate the bomb.
The police official said employees of the construction firm were the ones who delivered the bomb to the Swat office located at Camp Sotero Cabahug on Gorordo Ave.
Doria said that the bomb should not have been retrieved in the area until a team of bomb experts arrived as moving this might trigger an explosion.
“It should be treated as live,” said Doria in a phone interview.
Backhoe operator Ruel Monleon said the bomb was discovered two meters below the ground.
“Nagtuo ko puthaw ra (I thought it was just a piece of metal),” he said.
Had he known it was a bomb, Monleon said he would not have used the backhoe to lift the bomb to the higher ground.
Doria advised the public to report to the police if they can find a vintage bomb.
“They should not move it or saw it,” he said.
