A GROUP of suspected New People’s Army burned heavy equipment in Siaton town, Negros Oriental, on early Sunday morning, July 30.
Major Udgie Villan, commander of the Second Negros Island Geographical Battalion based in Tanjay City, said some five armed men on board three motorcycles burned the heavy equipment, including a backhoe and payloader, owned by a construction firm at a quarry site in Sitio Pilapil, Barangay Caticugan, Siaton around 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
The owner of the construction firm, Medalla Construction, was identified as Medalla Sia, 53, a widow and resident of Barangay Banilad, Dumaguete City.
A witness said the unidentified men fired their guns at the windshields of the heavy equipment and shouted, “Mabuhay ang NPA (New People’s Army)!”
No one was injured in the incident.
Authorities recovered from the scene 45 pieces of fired cartridge, three pieces of live ammunition of carbine, nine pieces of fired cartridge and two live ammunitions of caliber 9mm Luger, one deformed slug from undetermined caliber, and a gallon of gasoline.
Villan said the police and the army are investigating the incident, and looking at three possible angles.
Two weeks ago, a 15-year-old minor was killed at the quarry site after the equipment fell on the victim, Villan said, adding it could be the family avenging the victim’s death.
Authorities are also looking at the residents who are against the quarry operation as they felt “disturbed” by it, he said, adding the company has no competition in Siaton.
He added that the armed men may have used the name of the NPA, though they are not ruling out the possibility it could be perpetrated by the communist rebels.
Villan noted that the equipment was not totally destroyed when it got burned unlike in the previous attacks perpetrated by the rebels.
Earlier, Negros Oriental Roel Degamo said he and Duterte had talked about ways to strengthen security measures in the region to prevent the Guihulngan ambush from happening again.
On July 21, suspected communist rebels ambushed responding policemen, which left six of them dead and three others injured.
Duterte came to Negros Oriental on July 27 to visit the wake of the slain policemen, and also went to the hospital to check on the wounded police officers.