BACOLOD City – The New People’s Army (NPA) claimed responsibility for the burning of three heavy equipment worth around P11 million in Sitio Medel, Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.
Destroyed in the June 4 attack were two dump trucks and a backhoe, all reportedly owned by Barangay Carabalan captain Mildred Titular.
The Romeo Nanta Command-NPA, in a statement released on July 6, justified the burning as a punitive action against quarry operations in the Paniplan River, which they claimed have caused extensive environmental damage.
Ka Dionesio Magbuelas, the rebel group’s spokesperson, alleged that the continued quarrying has deepened the riverbed, resulting in the drying up of nearby farmlands and making it difficult for residents to cross the river.
“The livelihood of farmers and workers in the area has suffered, and the environmental degradation has been ignored for too long,” Magbuelas said.
Meanwhile, Police Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Grande, chief of the Himamaylan City Police Station, said the suspects targeted the aforementioned equipment.
For their part, Lieutenant Colonel Ziegfred Tayaban, commander of the Philippine Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion, said the rebels were allegedly conducting extortion activities in the area.
As of this writing, authorities were still investigating the incident further, especially with the NPA’s public admission of responsibility.
The attack is the latest in a string of violent incidents in the region, highlighting the ongoing tension between armed insurgent groups and local development efforts. (Watchmen Daily Journal)/PN
