NPA owns up attack on Rizal quarry

SAN PEDRO CITY – The New People’s Army (NPA) owned up the raid of a quarry site in San Mateo, Rizal, which it said was responsible for environmental destruction and the massive floods in Rizal province.

About 20 suspected rebels attacked the Monte Rock Corp., a quarry site in Barangay Guitnang Bayan, in a two-hour raid of the company’s compound on Sunday evening.

This happened as San Mateo, one of the worst-hit by the recent monsoon rains that Tropical Storm “Karding” triggered, continued to suffer from the flooding.

In a statement on Tuesday, the NPA’s Narciso Antazo Aramil Command-Rizal said the rebels meted the “punishment” on the company for years of quarrying Rizal’s mountain ranges that resulted in floods in San Mateo and Marikina City in Metro Manila.

The NPA also said communities had been complaining to them about the explosions during the quarry operations.

“This was to give justice to the people and to call for the preservation of the environment. Let this serve as a warning to all companies responsible for the destruction of natural resources in Rizal,” the rebel group said.

The NPA claimed setting on fire eight trucks, four backhoes, bulldozers, and loaders and disarming the security guards.

In a separate phone interview Tuesday, Supt. Vic Amante, San Mateo police chief, said the rebels destroyed 12 company vehicles along with office equipment.

He said they could not determine the cost of damage because the company refused to cooperate.