ZAMBOANGA, Philippines — Putting on a bulky bomb suit on a hot day is never fun. But approaching an improvised explosive device in the southern Philippines wearing nothing but thin cotton khakis is less so.
Members of the 3rd explosive ordnance disposal attachment at Camp San Arturo T. Enrile are happy to have any bomb suit.
Prior to receiving a secondhand SRS-5 suit from the U.S. military, this unit had no protective clothing at all.
The unit commander, Maj. Joel D. Aquino watched as two U.S. EOD specialists based in Guam wrapped up a two-day training exercise on how to use the new gear.
His unit had recently been called on to render safe a time bomb at a bus terminal in nearby Pagadian City. He hoped that would be the last time his men would do so without a bomb suit.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines are generally strapped for cash and poorly equipped, and that truism extends to the bomb disposal units.
U.S. Navy EOD Coordinator Chief Petty Officer Travis Bivens, said “they actually operate pretty good for the limited resources they have.”
The 3rd attachment has a small truck, but that’s not true everywhere. Some units have no transportation at all, and must travel in taxis.
A Human Rights Watch report, “Lives Destroyed: Attacks Against Civilians in the Philippines,” said there has been more than 1,700 civilian casualties in the Philippines since 2000. That is more than Indonesia, which suffered a series of deadly bombings on the island of Bali and its capital Jakarta.
Members of the Abu Sayyaf Group are believed to be responsible for many of the Philippine incidents, which include the Feb. 27, 2004 bombing of Superferry 14 in Manila Harbor that killed 116.
However, it is a regional, rather than Philippine specific problem. Two of the Bali bombers, Dulmatin and Umar Patek, escaped to the Philippines in 2003, took refuge with the Abu Sayyaf Group, and are reportedly passing on their skills. Since their arrival, IEDs have become more sophisticated.
U.S. sponsored Rewards for Justice program is offering millions for tips leading to their capture, but despite “wanted” posters, TV and radio ads seeking their capture, they remain at large.
The EOD units receive advice and assistance from U.S. personnel, but when going to a site, the Filipinos are on their own. Bivens, and Col. William Coultrup, commanding officer of joint special operations task force Philippines, said despite the lack of resources, there has been progress.
Another unit put its bomb suit to immediate use, Coultrup said. Called in to defuse a bomb hidden on a motorcycle, they carried out a successful mission without calling on the U.S. for advice. “They did it all on their own, there was no request for assistance, which is exactly what we want to see,” he said.
Fifteen second-hand bomb suits were distributed to EOD units in the restive Mindanao region, where U.S. special operations forces are working with the AFP to defeat radical Islamist groups. They received the suits under a military logistics support agreement.
As long as they are maintained properly and aren’t hit by a bomb, they should last “indefinitely,” Bivens said.
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