Philex Mining denies rebels attack in Compostela Valley

OZAMIZ CITY, Philippines – The Philex Mining Company has said reports indicating New People’s Army rebels attacked its compound in Compostela Valley were “false.”

“Neither Philex Mining or its subsidiaries have any exploration or mining activity in the Davao Region,” said Rene Patangan, media affairs relations officer of the company in Surigao.

On Friday, over a dozen NPA rebels swooped down on the compound of Philco Mining in Sitio (sub-village) Tagpura, Camanlangan village in New Bataan town in Compostela Valley past 8 p.m. and torched two Elf trucks, two backhoes and a drilling machine, Lt. Col. Lyndon Paniza, spokesperson of the army’s 10th Infantry Division, said.

Philco Mining is a subsidiary of Australian firm Mining Group Ltd.

At almost the same time, about 20 guerrillas also set on fire a Nissan Terrano sports utility vehicle (SUV) owned by an unidentified person at the mining village of Mainit, in nearby Nabunturan town, Paniza said. Ryan D. Rosauro, Inquirer Mindanao