Suspected NPAs burn construction equipment in Mindoro

CALAPAN CITY , Philippines  – A backhoe and three dump trucks which are being used in the construction of the new port in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro were burned by suspected members of the New People’s Army at Barangay Balao, said town, at about 4 p.m. on Thursday.

In a spot report sent the other day by Lt. Col. Regolio Percol, commander of the 80th Infantry Brigade, to 203rd Brigade Commander Col. Carlos Quita, it was learned that the rebels torched down the heavy equipment presumably as a result of the refusal of the owner of the equipment to pay revolutionary taxes to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

The construction of the new port of Abra de Ilog is being undertaken by Goldrich Co. An employee of the company who requested anonymity for security reasons, said that the NPAs are demanding P2 million from the contractor in exchange for the unhampered construction of the new port.

Reacting to this incident, the local government unit of Abra de Ilog, some people’s organizations and non-government organizations (NGOs) and ordinary citizens of Abra de Ilog are one in condemning the “terroristic act of the NPA rebels.”

Abra de Ilog local officials and barangay captains both said that the burning of the heavy equipment is a big blow to the socio-economic development aspirations of the people of the municipality.

“The NPA rebels are criminals and terrorists. They do not want Abra de Ilog and the rest of Occidental Mindoro to undertake development projects to alleviate the living conditions of the masses,” remarked a municipal councilor who requested anonymity for fear of his life.

The Federation of Farmers and Fishermen (FFF) of Abra de Ilog condemned the burning incident and considered it as a form of direct attack on the dignity and aspirations of the thousands of farmers and fisher folks who stand to benefit economically on the establishment of the new port.