Vintage Bomb Extracted in Cebu

Business and operations at the Cebu IT Park returned to normal after the vintage bomb found in a construction site in the area was transported to Toledo City for proper disposal early Wednesday morning.

The World War II bomb, weighing approximately 2,000 pounds, was discovered by construction workers last Saturday near the JP Morgan building. That portion of IT Park, Cebu’s premier business process outsourcing (BPO) hub, was cordoned off.

Experts from the Explosives and Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) ordered the evacuation of BPO employees and nearby residents as early as 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, seven hours ahead of the 3:00 a.m. bomb-extraction schedule.

The EOD completed extraction of the bomb around 5:40 a.m. and BPO companies were allowed to resume operation. Residents, who were evacuated to the Barangay Apas gym for safety, were also allowed to go back to their homes.

The old bomb will be detonated at the Carmen Copper Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Atlas Consolidated Mining  in Lutopan, Toledo City.

The extraction was earlier scheduled for early Tuesday morning, but bomb experts decided to have it postponed due to the delicate features of the bomb.

In an earlier interview, CCPO deputy director for administration Artemio Ricabo said the bomb, believed to have been dropped from the air, could still explode and could potentially destroy a skyscraper.

The Cebu IT Park was the site of the old Cebu airport during World War II. (PNA)