The one-day activity provided participants with foundational knowledge about the function and purpose of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), proper safety precautions and procedures for reacting and responding to unattended and suspicious items, to include safe detection, location, identification and general bombing prevention.
According to Jail Inspector Tracy Khim Balauag, Officer-in-Charge of the Regional Operations Division (ROD), one of the purposes of the webinar was to teach the jail personnel what to look for when searching a property of someone who is suspected of making explosives.
“In our job, we must understand the [chemical] mixtures that can make up these IEDs, so we can counter them. Consequently, we need to keep up on the latest developments in techniques, tactics, and technology to disarm and defend against these threats,” he said.
On his part, Police Lieutenant Lucio Malabanan, Team Leader of the Provincial Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Canine Unit (PECU)-Batangas said, “this webinar is important to prevent bombs and explosives from being used by lawless individuals to inflict casualties, and we are glad we can share our best practices with the BJMP.”
For the past years members of the EOD/K-9 Group of the PNP have been helping BJMP personnel improve their ability to better recognize, respond to and counter bombs.