PCG: 200 rounds of live ammo abandoned in Zamboanga cargo vessel

Amid threats of violence in Mindanao, some 200 rounds of live ammunition and 100 kitchen knives were found abandoned in a cargo vessel in Zamboanga on Tuesday night. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Wednesday its Zamboanga station's K-9 and Special Operations teams discovered the ammunition in a pre-departure inspection. "The said team noticed one box unattended/abandoned at the cargo deck of said vessel. Upon verification, no one came to claim ownership of said cargo which was later found to contain live ammunitions of cal-.60 (150 rounds), cal-.45 (50 rounds) and 100 (kitchen knives)," the PCG said on its website. At the time, the vessel MV Magnolia Fragrance was bound for Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi via Jolo (Sulu) and Bongao (Tawi-Tawi). Jolo was the site of a chapel bombing where at least 12 people were injured on Christmas Day. The PCG website said the ammunition and knives were brought to the Coast Guard Station Zamboanga "for safekeeping and further disposition." Meanwhile, radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported on Wednesday PCG commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo ordered an investigation to determine the owner of the ammunition and the knives. – VVP, GMANews.TV