SAN JOSE, Antique – Contractors of various projects in the province were assured of police assistance following separate arson incidents over the weekend.
Antique Police Provincial Office (APPO) on Monday gathered the contractors to give them tips to avert such incidents.
APPO deputy director for operations Superintendent Norby Escobar said arson cases in Sibalom and Hamtic towns had alarmed the contractors.
“We would like to let the contractors know how to reach the police when they need assistance,” Escobar said.
A backhoe and multi-cab owned by the F and J Construction parked along the road in Barangay San Juan, Sibalom were burned around midnight on June 1.
The suspects were believed to be members of the New People’s Army (NPA).
On June 2, the suspected NPA rebels also torched a motor grader machine of the same construction firm parked along the national highway in Barangay Fabric in Hamtic town.
“As per our information, there was no demand letter from the NPA sent to the contractor prior to the incident,” Escobar said.
Escobar added that the contractor has not yet informed them if the NPA has asked them revolutionary tax prior to the incidents.
“The insurgents must have wanted to send a message that they are still a force to reckon with,” Escobar said. (With a report from PNA/PN)