BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Yet unidentfied arsonists torched a pickup truck owned by the Environment Office of Mountain Province over the weekend.
Authorities are still looking for clues on what happened to a pickup truck found burned along the Abatan-Bagnen provincial road in Sitio Gipik in Bauko town.
Provincial police said a farmer noticed the vehicle on fire on Friday morning and reported it to authorities.
Bauko town police and firefighters said they noticed the odor of gasoline from the wreckage of the burned vehicle.
The vehicle was reportedly used by employees of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office-Sabangan and Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office-Bontoc on Thursday in operations against illegal logging and in monitoring the watershed of Bila, Bauko located at Mount Ambodaaw and Mount Dandanak.
Police said the burning of the vehicle cost the government around P555,000.