BACOLOD City – A vintage World War II-era bomb was unearthed during excavation work for an ongoing flood control project in Hacienda Minilu-an, Barangay Matab-ang, Talisay City, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday afternoon, July 22.
The unexploded ordnance (UXO) was discovered at about 2:45 p.m. while a backhoe operator was excavating soil along a river as part of the government’s flood mitigation project.
Police identified the operator only by his alias, “Raprap,” 32, a resident of Purok Greenfield, Barangay Antipoluan, Bago City, who is employed by a construction firm in the province.
According to the Talisay City Police Station, the backhoe bucket struck and unearthed what initially appeared to be an old bomb.
Moments later, the device began emitting white smoke, prompting workers to flee the area for fear that it might explode.
The incident was immediately reported to the police, which dispatched investigators and patrol officers to secure the site while requesting assistance from the Provincial Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)/K9 Unit.
Upon arrival, EOD personnel established a security perimeter, temporarily closed the affected road, rerouted traffic, and evacuated residents and workers within the immediate vicinity before conducting a render safe procedure.
Authorities later identified the ordnance as an M47 100-pound White Phosphorus (WP) bomb, an aerial munition believed to date back to World War II.
Police said the bomb was heavily corroded and already emitting white phosphorus fumes when it was unearthed, posing a potential danger to workers and nearby residents.
After successfully rendering the bomb safe, EOD personnel transported it to the Talisay City Dumping Site in Barangay Concepcion, where it will be kept until its final disposal in accordance with standard explosive ordnance disposal protocols./PN
