Cagayan de Oro holds bomb drills

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – With the spate of bombings in Mindanao, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) and other government agencies conducted simultaneous bomb drills in several busy areas here Saturday.

The drills alarmed residents living near two shopping malls in Barangay Lapasan who were unaware of the activity.

Virgil Lago, CDRRMO monitoring chief, said the exercises were designed to prepare residents and responders on what to do should a real bomb explode in heavily populated areas.

The Explosives and Ordnance Disposal police unit designed the two bombs, which gave off a loud bang without hurting anyone, he added.

The drill had rescuers, police, military, Philippine Red Cross and other government agencies responding to simulate a real-life scenario.