Grenade blast kills habal-habal driver

CEBU, Philippines - A habal-habal driver died after a rifle grenade he found while defecating in a vacant lot in Sitio Tambisan, Barangay Tisa, Cebu City exploded yesterday morning.

Ruben Genterone, 32, resident of the place, allegedly did not know what he found was a grenade.

Homicide investigator Alex Dacua said Genterone was seen by his neighbors bringing a piece of metal that appeared to be a flashlight when he came back after answering the call of nature.

Loreta Suson, 69, victim’s mother, said she saw her son bringing something but did not know it was dangerous. She said she only heard loud explosion few minutes later and found her son already dead.

“Naay nibuto, nidagan ko duol sa balay abi nako’g transformer pero wa man. Nangutana ko if naay mubuto mag brownout ba, unya wala man lagi,” Suson said.

Witnesses told the police that the victim was tinkering on the grenade while walking before it went off 200 meters away from where he found it.

“Iyang gikuri-kuri murang naabli ang pin, once maabli ang pin niya na touch niya sa duha ka kamot ang tomoy which is gitawag nato’g primer mao na pag-touch nibuto sa iyang tiyan, nakita nato nawagtang iyang duha ka kamot,” Dacua said.

Dacua said it was fortunate that no other people were around when the grenade exploded otherwise more people could have died. The police believe that the grenade may have been left by the rebels operating in the area some in the last ‘80s.

“Sa akong pagsabot mga 1986 or 1987 naay mga NPA (New Peoples’ Army) nga naggubat  diri maybe nabuhian but wa kabuto kadtong higayona,” Dacua said.

Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella asked the police to look deeper into the incident.

Labella also asked the public not to touch any suspicious object to avoid a similar accident.

Tisa Barangay Captain Phillip Zafra also encouraged his constituents to immediately report to the authorities any discovery of suspected explosives.

"Ang ako gyud unta’ng panawagan sa mga katawhan, sama sa niana, labi na’g vintage bomb or pareha niana, dili gyud nila puniton kay piligro kaayo na, so kung naa silay makit-an palihog ko’g pahibaw sa awtoridad kay para ma properly dispose nang mga butanga, dili na angayan tapigan, hipuson,” Zafra said.

Zafra promised to provide financial assistance to the family of the victim.

"Sa pagkakaron atong gipa-check kun unsay ayuda nga atong matabang pag-asikaso sa patay’ng lawas. Kutob sa atoang mahimo, tabangan nato ilabi na nga walay stable nga trabaho," Zafra said. —/FPL (FREEMAN)