THE Philippine National Police-Special Action Force yesterday said the commandos who died and wounded in the explosion of a vintage bomb in Taguig City Wednesday were not authorized to defuse the explosive.

PNP chief Director General Nicanor A. Bartolome ordered a thorough investigation into the incident that resulted in the death of four persons, including two members of the Special Action Force.

Investigators said the SAF operatives were doing an unauthorized operation following confirmation by the SAF leadership that they tried to defuse a vintage mortar bomb without authority and in full violation of standard operating procedures.

SAF-EOD operatives PO2s Elizalde Visaya, Arnold Mayo and Jose Torralba brought the vintage mortar shell to a welding shop in Lower Bicutan purposely to defuse it.

However, the bomb exploded resulting in the death of Visaya and Torralba, shop owner Crisanto Daguio and Riza Romualdo, owner of an adjacent bakery.

The SAF men reportedly asked Daguio to open the bomb with the use of a welding machine.

Visaya and Daguio died instantly while Torralba and Romualdo were declared dead-on-arrival at the Taguig-Pateros District Hospital.

PNP-SAF commander Director Catalino Cuy said he has ordered the investigation of PO2 Mayo who is now confined at a Quezon City hospital for treatment of second-degree burns in the face.

“These policemen performed an unauthorized operation and we want to determine the liability of PO2 Mayo who survived the blast,” Cuy said.

Cuy said their SOP mandates that a bomb must be defused in a safe area and not in a heavily-populated area like that in Taguig City.