The United States Department of State Anti-terrorism Assistance Program in the Philippines donates 32 Explosives and Ordnance Disposal (EOD) equipment and six (6) vehicles earlier today (November 9) during the regular flag raising ceremony in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Through the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Office of Antiterrorism Assistance (DS/ATA) led by Mr. Thomas McDonough, Regional Security Officer of US Embassy, and PNP Chief Director General Ricardo C. Marquez, EOD equipment and vehicles were turned over to PNP EOD Teams.
The 32 EOD equipment includes nine (9) post-blast investigation (PBI) kits, twenty (20) explosives incident counter-measures (EIC) kits, three (3) MK3 EIC robots, and six (6) vehicles, particularly Ford Ranger pick-up trucks.
Since 1986, DS/ATA has provided training and equipment to the Government of the Republic of the Philippines in particular to the country’s police force to develop its capacity to prevent, interdict, counter and investigate terrorist activity, particularly in restive regions of Mindanao and in the Metro Manila area.
In early 2007, DS/ATA started assisting the PNP by establishing an EOD and K-9 facility for the National Capital Region Police Office. Built with funding from the DS/ATA Program, the said facilities include a kennel, veterinary clinic and billets for an EOD “K-9 unit”, six bomb detector dogs and PNP K-9 handlers specially trained to detect explosives devices. -Philippine National Police
