Wednesday, November 25, 2015

GPH-MILF, PCBL deactivate bomb in Maguindanao

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 26): GPH-MILF, PCBL deactivate bomb in Maguindanao

Government and Moro peace panels as well as the Philippine Campaign to Ban Landmines (PCBL), Fondation Suisse de Déminage (Swiss Foundation for Mine Action or FSD), International Monitoring Team (IMT) and elements of Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, have successfully deactivated a 120 kilogram bomb in Maguindanao Wednesday, officials said Thursday.

An aircraft bomb, called HPGP MK81, was jointly defused by members of the GPH and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) in Barangay Datalpandan, Guindulungan, Maguindanao.

Accompanying the bomb experts in deactivating a highly dangerous bomb were repsentatives from Philippine Campaign to Ban Landmines (PCBL), Fondation Suisse de Déminage (Swiss Foundation for Mine Action or FSD), International Monitoring Team (IMT) and elements of 6th Infantry Division Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team.

Villagers discovered the bomb and alerted police and military authorities in the area.

A bomb expert taking part in the deactivation said the aircraft bomb could demolish a four-storey building.

“That is how powerful this ordnance is,” he said.

He advised villagers in Maguindanao not to tinker with any bomb or explosive that they will find in their farming areas to avoid loss of lives.

The joint government and MILF bomb disarming activities in Mindanao was contained in a normalization annex of the GPH-MILF peace agreement signed in 2014.

According to Fred Lubang, PCBL national coordinator, said the activity was contained in the Annex E on Normalization under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro signed on January 25, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

He said the activity is saving lives and it must continue as there could be more similar bombs litter in former battlefields in Maguindanao.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=831551

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