DEEPER PROBE. The aftermath of the explosion at the ammo dump complex inside the Army's 4th Infantry Division (4ID) headquarters, compared to its original structure (inset, upper left). Based on initial assessment, the 4ID ruled out sabotage since the facility's locks were still intact, and there was no sign of forced entry. (Photo courtesy of 4ID)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Army’s 4th Infantry Division (ID) has ruled out sabotage behind the explosion that destroyed the ammunition dump depot inside its headquarters, Camp Edilberto Evangelista, on Tuesday midnight.
Lt. Col. Vladimir Sta. Maria, the 4ID’s 10th Forward Service Support Unit commander, said the locks securing the depot’s metal doors were still intact, suggesting there was no forced entry.
Sta. Maria noted that the facility has an updated safety inspection certificate as of March 22, 2022, from the Bureau of Fire Protection.
The 4ID's own board of inquiry, he said, will begin this week an investigation on the facility's soaking and cooling mechanism, which acts to prevent remaining unexploded ordnance to explode.
Maj. Gen. Wilbur Mamawag, 4ID commander, said the BOI will be composed of Army officials and other civilian stakeholders.
“We will also invite officials from Barangay Patag and representatives from the local government of Cagayan de Oro City,” Mamawag said, adding that the 4ID is expected to finish its report by July 17.
Other than the BOI, personnel of the police's Scene of the Crime Operation and the Bureau of Fire Protection are also conducting their own probes.
From July 14 to 17, the Explosives and Ordnance Division team will conduct clearing operations and handle possible ordnance still present in the place of the incident.
Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner, the Philippine Army’s commanding general, said the 4ID incident should be a good reference for upgrading the various facilities inside Army headquarters nationwide.
“We will transfer the ammo dumps into a safer place. There is already a stringent protocol and strict policies in place (for the management of ammo dump facilities), but whatever the result of the investigation, we may make adjustments,” Brawner said in a press conference Tuesday evening.
Brawner said the incident is not isolated, as other military facilities in other countries also experienced the burning of ammunition storage facilities without external threats.
The 4ID estimated damages worth PHP27.7 million, with 61 families or 327 individuals residing near the facility evacuated.
Three injured civilians—identified as Reynald Quirweca, 45; Acolbay Escalante, 22; and Curt Angelo Cuizon, 15—were all declared safe following the incident.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Northern Mindanao has also sent 100 family food packs to the displaced families.
Meanwhile, City Mayor Rolando Uy has appealed for sobriety following the fire incident coupled with a series of explosions.
“I would enjoin all residents to stay calm and refrain from speculating on the accident at the headquarters of the 4ID that shook the city,” he said in a statement. (With a report from Jigger Jerusalem/PNA)
