CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Enemies of the state who may have gloated when the Phil. Army’s ammunition storage facility caught fire setting off a series of explosions here Tuesday, July 12, have no reason to delight as the military still have sufficient munitions supplies in its arsenal.
According to the Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID), the fire at Magazine 5, one of the buildings that serve as 4ID’s munitions depot, destroyed around P27.7 million worth of ammunition, most of them 155-millimeter howitzer rounds.
Three persons were injured by shrapnel and debris from the fire and explosion.
The ammunition storage complex is housed inside the 4ID headquarters at Camp Edilberto Evangelista in Barangay Patag, this city.
The facility is being managed by the Army’s10th Forward Service Support Unit (FSSU).
“Do not rejoice that it caught fire, because we still have enough ammunition and we will use this against you if you will not surrender,” said Maj. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., the Phil. Amy commanding general, referring to communist insurgents and local armed groups.
Brawner, who was here to personally inspect the extent of the damage, also briefly served as 4ID commander before he was appointed as head of the country’s Army.
He said the damaged ammunition was only a fraction of the AFP’s total ordnance and munitions supply.
“Compared to our ammunition nationwide, in all army units, this is just a very small amount. That is why this will not affect the operations of the Phil. Army, and of the AFP, against the threats to national security,” Brawner told reporters during a press conference at the 4ID Tuesday afternoon, July 12.
Since the fire incident has not affected the overall capability of the army, Brawner said their combat activities against armed groups will continue.
“Our call for you to surrender still stands, so you will not get hit by our ammunition. You may have seen the capability of our firepower. It is best that you surrender,” he said.
He added that rebels who return to the fold of the law can avail of various government benefits like the “balik baril” scheme and the enhanced comprehensive local integration program or ECLIP.
Brawner has also assured that the ammunition that exploded have not yet expired at the time that it caught fire.
“If our ammunition reaches the expiration date, we will no longer store it. We have a procedure to follow to dispose of our ammunition properly. It is very dangerous to store expired ammunition,” he added.
Because of what happened, Brawner said they are considering on transferring the ammunition depot to a safe location, preferably away from the civilian population.
“Part of the investigation is to look at the safety of the ammunition storage facility that we have. We will have to transfer if we have assessed that it is already dangerous.,” he said.
In fact, he added, some army ammunition depots have already been transferred due to the area already being overpopulated, like the one in Camp Panacan in Davao City.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Vladimir Sta. Maria, 10th FSSU commanding officer, said the fire that has caused the explosion may have been triggered by what he called as a “chemical reaction.”
“If gunpowder is exposed to a certain environment, it may trigger a chemical reaction that may lead it to be unstable,” Sta. Maria in the same press briefing.
Although he did not elaborate on the probable cause of the fire citing technicality, Sta. Maria has noted that it was not act of sabotage.
During his visual presentation detailing the incident, Sta. Maria said Magazine 5’s doors were locked before the fire occurred indicating that there was no break-in of the facility.
