Grenade lobbed at ex-customs collector’s house in Talisay City

CEBU, Philippines -  An unexploded fragmentation grenade was found yesterday morning in front of the house of a retired customs collector in Barangay Bulacao, Talisay City.

The MK II hand grenade was retrieved by the bomb squad unit of Cebu Provincial Police Office at 5 a.m. at the garage of the house of lawyer Paul Alca-zaren in Main Court Subdivision.      

The house caretaker, Bentoc Castañares, was cleaning outside the house when he found the grenade. Castañares immediately reported what he found to the Talisay City Police Station.

Personnel of the Explosives Ordinance Division of CPPO were immediately dispatched to retrieve the grenade. The responding bomb squad members reco-vered the safety grip and the safety lever outside of the gate.

Senior Police 1 Reynaldo Solante said the grenade could have exploded and caused damage to the house and possible injury and even death had it not malfunctioned.

“Suwerte kay wala maka-ignite ang primer kung nibuto pa to ma-da-mage gyud ang balay kay didto may mga sakyanan,” Solante said.

Solante said the grenade could have been thrown sometime during dawn by still unidentified person.

Alcazaren was not around during the incident.

The police investigators are still conducting investigation to identify the culprit and the motive behind it.

Solante said the grenade will be detonated in Toledo City. — (FREEMAN)