Bomb found near bank in Las Piñas

The police recovered yesterday a suspected improvised explosive device near a bank in Barangay Almanza Uno in Las Piñas City. Senior Superintendent John Sosito, acting Las Piñas police chief, said a security guard of the Allied Bank-Las Piñas branch called the police station and reported the presence of an alleged bomb in the area.

Sosito said ambulant vendor Alejandro Lara was the first to notice the suspected bomb, which consisted of a chemical in powder form in a plastic bottle and wrapped in electrical tape, and attached to wires, bulbs and batteries.

“It was left lying close to an electrical post near the Allied Bank Branch along the Alabang-Zapote Road around 11 a.m. A guard who was not identified called and reported the matter,” he added.

A team led by Inspector Vicente Raquion of the city’s Special Weapons and Tactics-Explosives and Ordnance Division, then rushed at the site and immediately conducted “blast-in-place,” a way of safely detonating suspected bombs.

The package in now being subjected to laboratory examination.

“Apart from the vendor who is now being interrogated, we are still looking for other witnesses who might have seen who left the package in the area,” Sosito said.