NPA admits burning trucks, backhoe worth P9M in Negros Occidental

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BACOLOD CITY – The Romeo Nanta Command-New People’s Army (RNC-NPA) operating on Negros Island on Sunday, July 6, claimed responsibility for burning two dump trucks and a backhoe in Sitio Medel, Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, on Friday night, July 4.

The destroyed heavy equipment reportedly belonged to a business owned by Carabalan’s village chief, Mildred Titular, according to Fire Officer 1 Martin Villega of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Himamaylan City.

The RNC-NPA, in a statement Sunday, claimed the equipment they burned down was worth P11 million. Local fire authorities, however, said the destroyed equipment was valued at P9 million.

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The NRC-NPA justified its act by claiming that the dump trucks and backhoe were allegedly used for a quarry operation that severely damaged and deepened the Paniplan River, caused water loss in surrounding agricultural fields that negatively impacted the livelihood of local farmers, and made river crossings difficult for residents.

The rebel group said the burning served as a “warning against prioritizing profit over human rights and community livelihoods.”

Fire Officer 2 Ronel Ivan Labansauan, the chief investigator of BFP-Himamaylan, said ash samples from the scene would be sent to the BFP national headquarters in Quezon City for forensic examination to determine the cause and origin of the fire. /mr