In observance of the Holy Week, the Philippine News Agency’s online news service will be off on March 29, Good Friday, and March 30, Black Saturday. Normal operations will resume on March 31, Easter Sunday.

— The Editors

1 killed in SoCot vintage bomb blast

By Allen Estabillo

March 3, 2020, 4:39 pm

<p>Lt. Col. Marvin Duadua, chief of the Polomolok municipal police station. <em>(PNA GenSan file photo)</em></p>

Lt. Col. Marvin Duadua, chief of the Polomolok municipal police station. (PNA GenSan file photo)

GENERAL SANTOS CITY – An engineer from Cebu was on Monday killed after a vintage bomb that he supposedly believed contained some gold suddenly exploded while trying to open it in an outskirt village in Polomolok town, South Cotabato province.

Lt. Col. Marvin Duadua, chief of the Polomolok municipal police station, said Tuesday Vincent Degula, 40, was reportedly trying to take the bomb apart using an electric grinder at a house in Sitio Lamkwa, Barangay Maligo when it blew up past 9 a.m.

Duadua said Degula, who was a contractor and temporarily residing in Purok Hecahanova of Barangay Poblacion, was just visiting the village when the incident happened.

Based on the investigation, he said Degula came to the area along with a Pastor Moises Villar and Nestor Fundar as he was reportedly eyeing to acquire property there.

The three later proceeded to the house of a local resident Joseph Namion whom Degula asked for power connection for his electric grinder.

Citing Villar’s accounts, Duadua said the victim used the grinder and started working on a “cylinder looking metal” measuring around 12 to 15 inches long and five inches in diameter.

Namion and Fundar went to a nearby store to buy instant coffee while Villar was left with the victim.

The police official said Villar reportedly warned the victim that the item could be a bomb and might explode but the latter reportedly insisted that it contained gold.

“But moments later, it suddenly exploded, killing the victim instantly,” Duadua said in a radio interview.     

Villar, who was then urinating near a pineapple plantation around seven to eight meters away from the house, was reportedly thrown away by the impact of the explosion but was unhurt.

Namion and Fundar, who were then walking toward the house, were also spared but felt the heavy blow from the blast.

Duadua said they were still determining where the vintage bomb was recovered as it was not reportedly from the area.   

“According to our witnesses, the victim already had it when he came to the area,” he added. (PNA)

Comments