2 of 40 rounds of 81mm mortars misfire during test

The military test-fired Thursday at least 40 rounds of 81 mm mortars in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, home of the 7th Infantry Division and the Special Operations Command and two of the ammunitions misfired. Armed Forces public information office chief Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said the initial result is not yet enough to judge the overall quality of the mortars. “Although the number (of dud and misfiring ammunition) is low, we can’t say it’s already a conclusive finding because there are still other ongoing testing in the field," Bacarro said in a telephone interview. The ammunition belonged to the same lot number or batches of deliveries of mortar rounds from the United States that was used by Marine forces during a clash with Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Abu Sayyaf and lawless gangs in Basilan last week. A video footage of the skirmishes showed several 81 mm mortars misfiring. This prompted a number of senators to schedule a probe into the incident, particularly on the procurement of the mortar rounds. Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. has formed a fact-finding team to look into the circumstances of the Tipo-Tipo encounter. The team will also look into why the 81 mm mortar rounds misfired during the skirmishes. “This (test-firing) is part of our technical investigation (on the mortar rounds) that the Armed Forces of the Philippines has initiated relative to the circumstances which we had in Basilan," said Bacarro. “This (test-fire) is part of the investigation. So we are testing the mortar rounds. At the same time, we would like to highlight that this is not the only test firing that we are conducting," he said. Bacarro said the investigating team headed by AFP inspector general Maj. Gen. Ferdinand Bocobo has asked the people in the field to conduct test fire “and this will be collated in the report that our investigating team will be preparing." Meanwhile, Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino said the Army needs at least P64 million to rehabilitate at least 10,000 mortar rounds and for the procurement of plaster canisters to ensure they are not exposed to environmental hazards. Tolentino said that the 60mm and 81mm mortar rounds have been rehabilitated and properly stored. “This (placing the mortars in canisters) is the solution [to misfiring and dud mortars]," said Tolentino. "Even if it rained on, dropped, or soaked in water, the ammunition will not be affected," he added. - GMANews.TV