WHAT started as a search for gold nearly ended in disaster for a construction worker in Sitio Sunflower, Barangay Mandug, after he mistakenly tried to dig up a massive vintage bomb with a shovel at around 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 14.
Alias Jay, 39, was digging a fish trap when he struck a metallic object protruding from the soil. Hoping to find treasure, he and his companion immediately grabbed a shovel to extricate the item.
The excitement turned to dread after realizing they had found a corroded, high-explosive aerial bomb. The men abandoned their tools and contacted 911. By 6:20 a.m., officers from the Buhangin Police Station arrived at the scene, immediately cordoning off the area to protect nearby residents from a potential blast.
The Davao City Explosive and Canine Unit, led by PCMS Caryl Melendres, arrived shortly after to assess the threat.
Experts identified the ordnance as a JP-250, a vintage 250-kilogram (approx. 550 lbs) class bomb, likely a relic from World War II. Despite decades in the ground, such devices can remain volatile if disturbed by blunt force, such as the shovel strikes used by the workers.
The CECU team successfully recovered the JP-250 and transported it to a secure facility for proper disposal by 7 a.m.
Authorities used the incident to remind the public that Davao City remains a “hotspot” for unexploded colonial-era ordnance.
Residents are urged not to touch or attempt to excavate any suspicious metallic objects, as the friction from tools can trigger a lethal detonation.
