NPA claims responsibility for torched heavy equipment in Oriental Mindoro

CALAPAN CITY, Philippines – The New People’s Army has claimed responsibility for the burning of heavy equipment of a hydro-power company in Naujan town, Oriental Mindoro on Monday afternoon.

In a statement, Madaay Gasic, spokesperson of the NPA’s Lucio de Guzman Command said NPA rebels entered the premises of the Sta. Clara Power Corporation (SCPC) in Barangay Malvar at around 3 p.m.

She said they aimed to stop the operation of SCPC because “the NPA does not allow plunder and environmental destruction in the island of Mindoro.”

Gasic said the NPA torched the batching plant and burned 44 heavy equipment vital to the operation of the plant, including a backhoe, five bigfoot trucks, two payloader trucks, a crusher and a cement mixer.”

They also confiscated a 9mm pistol, factory made shotgun, eight two-way radios and three laptop computers.

Gasic claimed that SCPC was responsible for several disasters that happened in the province.
She added that the NPA was not against all renewable energy projects except for those that violate human rights.  /muf