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Thursday, July 06, 2006
Military looks at land row in cell site attack
The burning of a cell site in Poblacion, San Isidro, Bohol may not be related to the insurgency problem, police and military officials said yesterday.
The possible involvement of rebels is not yet being ruled out, but the Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) and the Central Command (Centcom) are giving more weight on a conflict between owners of the land where the cell site of Globe Telecommunications was located.
“An initial report we received was that it was an arson case. A plain criminal activity, and not a communist or terrorist activity,” said Lt. Col. Jefferson Omandam, Centcom spokesperson.
Omandam is coordinating with the police in Bohol, which will take charge of the investigation and the filing of charges.
BPPO Director Arturo Evangelista told Sun.Star Cebu that four things made them believe it was not the rebels who did it.
For one, there were no recent sightings of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the area.
Also, rebels usually attack in haste, use gasoline in burning their targets and fire shots before leaving the area to notify people about their presence.
In a mobile phone interview yesterday, Evangelista said they heard of the “conflict” among three siblings who own the lot where the cell site was.
Evangelista said one of the siblings is based in Davao while the two are in Bohol. One is reportedly not pleased about the presence of the cell site, Evangelista said.
The burning of the cell site was believed to have been done Monday night. Its caretaker, Bartolome Aledon, discovered the attack only at 6 a.m. the following day.
Nobody saw who torched the cell site and no explosion was heard.
Evangelista earlier said they were considering two angles: communist rebels and the possibility that angry subscribers might have carried out the crime.
Insp. Samuel Gabuya, San Isidro Police Station chief, led the probe and found firewood, cuttings of cogon grass and sawdust that were apparently used to build the fire.
The perpetrators also dug a hole beside the interlink fence to gain entry to the cell site, which was unusual for NPA.
Gabuya said they already have the names of the landowners and their heirs, who will be invited to help shed light on the incident. (JST/With DRT of Sun.Star Superbalita)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (July 6, 2006 issue)
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