"NPA members" bomb crane truck

SIGMA, CAPIZ, Philippines — Suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) blasted a crane truck owned by the Central de Azucarera de San Antonio located at its trans-loading station at Brgy. Mianay, about 5 kilometers from this town.

Police accounts said that around eight to ten armed men barged into the trans-loading station and ordered crane operator Restituto Jimenez to get off the heavy equipment.

Jimenez said he saw at least eight persons, five of them in military camouflage uniform, two in civilian clothes, and a woman. They told him that their act has nothing to do with them but to the owner of the Central de Azucarera de San Antonio.

He left the site and, about a hundred meters away from the truck, he heard an explosion. The assailants immediately left the area on board a motorcycle and a closed van going to the nearby Dao town, he said.

Shortly after the incident, joint police and military elements conducted a hot pursuit operation against the fleeing armed men.

Senior Supt. Domingo Cabillan, Capiz Police provincial director, said initial investigation revealed that the perpetrators planted a command-detonated improvised explosive device (IED) at the base of the crane truck.

For now, the police said they could not estimate the damage done to the property. “Hindi naman kasi nasira ‘yung buong crane truck. What was damaged was the differential casing at the bottom of the truck,” said Cabillan without naming any group could be behind the incident.

“They identified themselves as NPA members and that’s about it,” he said, adding that investigations showed that the azucarera management had not received any extortion letters from any NPA group before.

“So, mystery pa rin kung bakit nila inatake at sinunog ang isang property owned by a civilian corporation,” Cabillan said.

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Jose Mabanta, commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division, said the incident was nothing more of a proof of NPA’s banditry. “We regret that our call for peace was answered by an act of terror,” he said.

Mabanta still assured the public that the incident would not deter the government’s campaign against insurgency.

Instead, it would only strengthen the AFP’s resolve to bring peace to the communities. “We remain steadfast and continue to offer peace to the NPA rebels until they realize the futility of the armed struggle,” he added.

Based on military records, the last act of terror done by the NPA in Panay area was last December 9 when they killed a soldier and two personnel of the AFP’s paramilitary force at Brgy. Aningalan, San Remigio, Antique.

Corporal Absalon Labitan, and Julie Huayang, 31, and Vevencio Mutha, 31, both members of the CAFGU and residents of Aningalan, were killed while conducting peace and security patrol in the area. - THE FREEMAN