NPAs raid mine firm in Negros, burn bunkhouse
By Carla Gomez
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:53:00 07/25/2008
BACOLOD CITY – Suspected Communist rebels burned a bunkhouse and two other buildings owned by the United Philippines Drilling Corp. (UPDC) operating in Barangay Nabulao, Sipalay City, Negros Occidental on Wednesday night.
UPDC, a Philippine-based drilling company, was conducting copper drilling operations for Philex Mining Corp.
The armed suspects were said to be members of the Komiteng Larangan-South West and headed by Raniel Cellon, alias Ka Kumpol, according to Lt. Joselito Dalida, chief of the 61st Infantry Battalion Civil Military Operation.
The suspected rebels, who arrived at the mining firm’s compound at around 8:45 p.m., also burned the drilling firm’s administration building and guardhouse and took a .38 cal. revolver and an Icom base radio, said Chief Insp. Arnel Arpon, police chief of Sipalay.
The armed men also took off with a shotgun of a security guard and cellular phones and other personal belongings of mining company employees, who were left unharmed, Arpon said.
He said the total cost of destruction was estimated to reach P1.5 million.
Dalida claimed the failure to pay revolutionary taxes by the management of UPDC triggered the burning of the buildings. UPDC officials in Sipalay were however not available for comment on the attacks.
The rebel raid on UPDC’s compound came two days after the group of Cellon also allegedly summarily executed former militiaman Wilfredo Abendan in Barangay Camindangan, Sipalay City, Dalida said.
The two brothers of Abendan, Dante and Nolito, also former militiamen, were gunned down by suspected rebels in previous months in Ilog and Sipalay City, he said.
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