BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Investigation over the torching of three backhoes on Tuesday has been tasked to the E.B. Magalona, Negros Occidental town police.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Roberto Petate, Silay City police chief, said they were giving way to the investigation of their E.B. Magalona counterparts because the area where the incident transpired was already part of the town’s Barangay Consing.
Petate’s policemen were the ones who initially responded to the area after receiving a report that the New People’s Army (NPA) launched an attack. They thought the area was still part of the city’s Barangay E. Lopez, and they were the nearest units available that time.
They were accompanied by members of the 1st Negros Occidental Provincial Mobile Force Company.
The backhoes were already completely gutted when they arrived.
Petate said they have strong evidence that the NPA was involved in the torching. There were “clear indications” of their presence, he added. Some placards and an NPA flag were found in the area.
However, he said, it would be up to the E.B. Magalona police to confirm if it was the NPA that really attacked, or other criminal elements.
On Tuesday, Randy Bylon, a local resident, called the police at around 5 a.m. and informed them about the three backhoes on fire in Hacienda Vista Alegre.
The heavy equipment were a Caterpillar 520 backhoe worth P7.2 million; a Liugong backhoe worth P4.2 million and owned by a certain Ryan Villan; and another Liugong backhoe worth P5.2 million owned by Lantad barangay captain Arnie Benedicto.
Villan also told authorities the insurgents placed an NPA checkpoint on the road connecting to the hacienda.
Meanwhile, in what the police believed may be connected to the toching, a barangay tanod was found dead in Barangay Consing.
Police identified him as Elmer Ortencio, a resident of the barangay’s Hacienda Margarita.
Based on the information released by the E.B. Magalona town police, Ortencio was believed to have been abducted by armed individuals on Tuesday afternoon.
Ortencio’s remains were recovered at a bamboo plantation around 11 p.m.
Police are still investigating the incident, although they suspect that Ortencio may have witnessed the arson attack./PN
