Reds deny killing mining exec in Davao City

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The New People’s Army denied Friday that it had anything to do with last week’s killing of an offsite land acquisition superintendent of Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI).

Cristituto Bual  was killed near his home in Central Park Subdivision here on the morning of September 16 by an unidentified gunman.

Bual was not even in the NPA’s order of battle, Ka Dencio Madrigal, spokesperson of the rebel group’s Valentine Palamine Command, said in a statement sent to the Inquirer.

Bual’s name was also not on the NPA’s list of individuals tried by the rebels’ “people’s court” for “collusion with a multinational company in the unconscionable plunder of our natural resources and the degradation of our ecology,” Madrigal said.

Madrigal said that on the contrary, they received reports that Bual was ordered executed by his own company for “bungling” a land deal involving some influential persons.

“Reports have reached us that Bual was killed on orders of Xstrata-SMI for his failure to ‘deal properly’ with certain influential people within Bual’s area of jurisdiction,” Madrigal said.

“He had purportedly bungled up SMI’s bid to lord it over Malalag town in preparation for the company’s projected infrastructures along Malalag Bay,” he added.

SMI officials had earlier said they were withholding further statements on Bual’s death pending the results of a police investigation.

“While the motive of Bual’s slaying has yet to be fully uncovered, his violent death only showed how dissent and discontent arise where ever SMI- Xstrata is,” Madrigal said.

He said the NPA will continue to “monitor and document events related to Xstrata-SMI and will do its best to meet the people’s demand for revolutionary justice.”