Rebels Torch Construction Equipment İn S. Philippines

By Roy Ramos ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (AA) – Suspected communist New People's Army torched and destroyed around PHP10 million worth of construction equipment owned by a quarrying company in southern Philippines' Butuan City on Saturday. However, the victim-company located at the village of Bonbon, the GMC Mountain Resource Quarry has yet to submit a report necessary for the police investigation, according to Police Chief Inspector Joannes Castro in a report by GMA News. The communist rebels destroyed a total of six heavy equipment which include four backhoes, one dumptruck and payloader. In an initial investigation, the caretaker revealed that a group of armed men who only identified themselves as "soldiers for the poor" perpetrated the attack. The attackers allegedly forced the people to leave the area and warned them of the atrocity because of the quarrying firm's refusal to settle a revolutionary tax. In a separate interview, the operations manager of the quarrying company denied receiving demands from the rebels. A series of burning heavy equipment has been perpetrated by the communist rebels in several parts of the country. Earlier this month, three heavy equipment pieces of a construction company were burned by the rebels in Northern Philippines Cagayan Province. -