NPA rebels seize equipment owned by agribusiness firms in Davao City

DAVAO CITY — Dozens of communist rebels hijacked three pieces of heavy equipment owned by two agribusiness firms in a hinterland village here on Saturday, the police said.

Senior Insp. Ma. Teresita Gaspan, the spokesperson of the Davao City Police Office, said about 30 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels forcibly took control of two boomtruck sprayers owned by Japanese banana firm Sumitumo Fruits Corp. (Sumifru) and another boom-type sprayer truck owned by Tristar Company in Barangay Manuel Guianga in Tugbok district.

The trucks were traveling toward Barangay Tamayong in the adjacent district of Calinan when the rebels seized them at around 7:30 a.m., Gaspan said.

No details as to the condition of the drivers were given by the police spokesperson, however.

She said police and Army units had already conducted checkpoints and also launched an operation to locate the seized equipment.

Agribusiness companies, particularly the Japanese-owned banana firm, had been regularly subjected to attacks by the NPA, with guerrillas burning vehicles, equipment and chopping down banana trees for the companies’ refusal to heed the rebels’ extortion demands, authorities said. /atm