Suspected IED Recovered Outside Philippine Senate

MANILA, Philippines — A suspected improvised explosive device (IED) was recovered outside the Senate premises in Pasay City on Monday morning, July 27, according to the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO). An employee of a towing service along Diokno Boulevard flagged the suspected IED during a routine security inspection by Pasay City Police Station personnel, the NCRPO said in a police report. “Thereafter, the team implemented the appropriate Render Safe Procedure (RSP) utilizing the Hand Entry Technique to safely examine and neutralize the suspected IED. The procedure was successfully completed without incident,” the police explained. “The operation yielded a positive result for the presence of explosive components/materials,” it added. The police report noted that operatives recovered a 9V battery, a blasting cap, a clock and a plastic jar containing a brown powder “suspected to be an explosive material.” In an interview with reporters in Quezon City, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the agency was now investigating the circumstances surrounding the suspected IED. This is a developing story. /das