Monday, January 21, 2008 Hog farm raid not by communist rebels By Carlo P. Mallo
MEMBERS of the New People's Army are reportedly not behind the raid of a hog farm in a town in Davao del Norte and the military is looking into the reported presence of bandits in the area.
Motorcycle-riding gunmen raided and disarmed the guards of a piggery farm in Barangay Katipunan in Santo Tomas, Davao del Norte on January 4. The rebels were able to cart away one M16 rifle and a caliber .38 revolver from the security guards of the piggery farm.
The raid was attributed to the communist New People's Army (NPA).
However, a progress report obtained by Sun.Star Davao showed that the raid was done by an unidentified "bandit group" and not by the rebels.
In an interview Sunday with Lt. Col. Alexander Ambal, commander of the 73rd Infantry Battalion, he said there are a number of bandit groups in the area and that they are already looking into the matter.
"There are other criminal elements in the area," Ambal said.
Ambal added there are also organized crime groups operating in the area.
After the incident, the Police Regional Office-Southern Mindanao has ordered the recall of all high-powered firearms from the security guards and other soft targets that could become victims of atrocities to be committed by the bandit groups or by the New People's Army.
