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Thursday, January 03, 2008
Rebel raid on mine firm violates own truce
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- The New Year's Day attack by communist guerillas on a mining site in South Cotabato just shows how insincere they are in the ceasefire they declared in time for the holidays.
This was the statement made by Colonel Rolando Bautista, information officer of the Philippine Army's 10th Infantry Division, after an estimated 60 fully armed New People's Army (NPA) rebels attacked the Sagittarius Mining Inc.'s base in Barangay Tablu, Tampakan at around 4 a.m. of January 1.
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Bautista said the rebels belonging to NPA's Guerilla Front 76 initially took hostage the security guard on duty at the time of the raid and forcibly entered the compound.
Just as the raid at the mining base camp was ongoing, other rebels were also "harassing" the Cafgu detachment located just about 800 meters away from the mining compound. Bautista said the attack at their detachment prevented the soldiers from providing support to the Sagittarius Mining Inc. (SMI) base camp.
He said though that personnel at the Cafgu detachment "successfully defended their position."
As a result of the twin attacks, the rebels were able to cart away one 12-gauge shotgun, one .38 caliber revolver, and one handheld radio from the security guards of the mining company.
The rebels reportedly burned down as well the United Philippines Drilling shop and the administrative building and the kitchen of the company.
Bautista said the New Year's Day attack is still within the period of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-declared ceasefire.
"It is very evident that their declaration is just part of deceit to hide their true intention of conducting atrocities against government forces and business entities," Bautista said.
The military eyes extortion and food acquisition as the motives of the raid.
In an interview Tuesday with Major Rod Sosmeña, spokesperson of the Eastern Mindanao Command, he said the rebel group particularly looted the kitchen of the mining firm.
"Foodstuff and some utensils of the workers were reportedly missing," Sosmeña said.
The kitchen, together with the makeshift administration building, the staff house, the mess hall, the barracks, even the guard house of SMI were razed to the ground by the rebels after looting. The building of the United Philippine Drilling in the compound was also not spared from being razed.
The rebels were believed to be under the Guerilla Front Committee 76, whose leader remains unknown.
Elements of the 27th Infantry Battalion immediately conducted pursuit operations against the perpetrators of the attack.
The 5th Civil Relations Group of the military also considered the attack as very unmanly of the rebel group. "They have no word of honor," Major Medel Aguilar, chief of the 5th Civil Relations Group, said in an interview Wednesday.
"They said they would not launch any violent activity from December 31 to January 1, but from what we see, they could not control their itch to conduct hostilities," Aguilar added, "even when the whole country is in the midst of celebrating the New Year."
SMI is a multi-million dollar investment of an Australian-based company for the exploration and drilling of copper deposits in the province of South Cotabato. (With CPM/Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (January 3, 2008 issue)
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