IED found in Occidental Mindoro town

By Madonna T. Virola / Philippine Daily Inquirer

CITY OF CALAPAN –– An improvised explosive device (IED) was found Monday in Rizal town in Occidental Mindoro province, according to a police report.

Danilo Espartero, village chief in Sto. Niño, Rizal, reported to the police that one of their residents found an IED at Busuanga River near West Island about 8 a.m.

The police responded and recovered the unexploded IED at about 11 a.m.

Colonel Hordan Pacatiw, Occidental Mindoro police chief, said in a phone interview that the IED could have been left by New People’s Army rebels because there were “sightings” of them in the area in the past.

“Maybe they sought shelter in that area. The river is the boundary of the village. When there are strong rains, the water level rises,” he said.

The IED, now under police custody, is not enough to explode because the components are not complete, said Pacatiw.

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