By Ben Serrano,
Correspondent
BUTUAN City — He thought it would make him rich, but the “treasure” that a construction worker unearthed turned out to be a World War II vintage bomb.
Julito Calimpong, who did excavation work at the construction site in Surigao del Norte National High School three days earlier, said he discovered the bomb after his backhoe hit a metallic object and he decided to see what it was.
“I found it covered with soil six meters deep,” he told RPN-DXKS in an interview.
In a press statement, Surigao City Vice Mayor Alfonso Cassura said the vintage bomb used by a US Carrier was aimed to destroy a garrison outpost of the Japanese Imperial Army location which now housed the public high school.
Press statement from the Army claimed the vintage bomb, weighing 500 pounds was found buried six meters deep inside premises of Surigao National High School in Surigao City by workers of a construction firm on Jan. 14 doing construction work in the area.
On Jan. 16, at around 11 am the workers thought the bomb was part of the fabled Yamashita Treasure so they decided to extract it from the ground.
After the extraction, they brought it to the warehouse located at Bernadette Village, Barangay Luna Surigao City at around 5 pm on same day.
The owner of the warehouse businessman Ryan Orquina noticed that it was not a treasure but a vintage bomb so he immediately asked assistance from his friend Commander Jake Miranda, a former Philippine Navy Officer and a Coast Guard Auxiliary.
The bomb measured 54 inches long with a diameter of 14 inches and a circumference of 44 inches and has retained its original olive drab color.
The bomb was reported to be an AN-M43 or M64 (Army Navy designation) 500 pounder containing HE/TNT/Almatol which is indicated by a visible 1-inch yellow stripe. It was used by naval aircraft like the SBD and SB2C dive bombers and the TBM/TBF torpedo bombers.
“The pin that was removed was actually part of the arming wire which in this case is also part of the triggering mechanism,” Miranda said.
At around 9 pm, Miranda informed the Commanding Officer of the 30IB Army based in Surigao del Norte, Lt. Col. Rico Amaro about the bomb.
Miranda also informed Surigao City Government through Vice Mayor Alfonso Casurra in order to conduct an emergency meeting.
The objective is to plot and implement actions that will eliminate the risk of explosion in the city.
Several people have asked authorities not to detonate the bomb but instead have it defused so it could be displayed at a local museum.
Local historians said the bomb was among those that were dropped by the US bombers during WWII. (with reports from mindanews)
Disclaimer
Mindanao Gold Star Daily holds the copyrights of all articles and photos in perpetuity. Any unauthorized reproduction in any platform, electronic and hardcopy, shall be liable for copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Rights Law of the Philippines.
