MANILA, Philippines – Suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels burned a total of 12 Victory Liner buses and an Isuzu elf truck at the bus company’s motorpool in Barangay Estrada, Capas town in Tarlac Sunday night.
Meanwhile in Surigao del Sur, an estimated 50 NPA rebels torched the warehouse of DOLE Philippines, three cargo trucks and a motorcycle at the company’s plantation in Barangay Anahaw Daan, Tago town.
Senior Superintendent Alfred Corpus, Tarlac police provincial director, said about seven NPA rebels, who entered the compound by scaling the concrete fence, took the service firearms of the two guards on duty.
He said the rebels ordered the guards to lay face down on the ground and poured gasoline and torched the buses and the truck.
Seven of the buses have no engine, while five are undergoing maintenance check.
One of the guards was injured when the NPA rebels fired indiscriminately in the air as they fled. He was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) chief Maj. Gen. Jessie Dellosa denounced the incident, which he said was meant to punish the bus management for not giving in to the extortion demands of the NPA.
“For not yielding to their demands, these rebels have no qualms in hurting people and destroying their livelihood, even our economy. What they did is plain and simple economic sabotage,” he said.
“I have already directed the units in the field to work closely with the police so that these terrorists will be meted justice and no incidents of this nature will happen again in the future,” he added.
Nolcom spokesman Capt. Jovily Cabading said NPA rebels rake hundreds of millions of pesos in Central Luzon alone through extortion.
Surigao del Sur Gov. Johnny Pimentel said the NPA rebels who raided the DOLE warehouse, hog-tied the security guards, poured gasoline on the ground, three cargo trucks and a motorcycle, and set it on fire before leaving the premises.
The rebels also took the firearms of the security guards.
Reports from the Region 13 police office said the rebels also hacked an estimated five hectares of banana plants.
Pimentel said DOLE Philippines has been under attack from NPA rebels almost every other month, that its officials plan to temporarily halt their operations.
Last June, some 60 NPA rebels also swooped down at Barangay Anahaw Daan DOLE plantation and chopped off the banana plants. – Ric Sapnu, Ben Serrano, Ding Cervantes, Edith Regalado, Jaime Laude, Philippine Star
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