DUMAGUETE CITY -- Suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) burned a truck used to haul sugarcane in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental Thursday, the police said on Friday.
Senior Supt. Edwin Portento, Philippine National Police provincial director, said the incident apparently stemmed from the refusal of the truck owner to pay the so-called revolutionary tax to the alleged NPA rebels.
The owner of the truck was identified as Joselito Albellar while the driver was identified as Samuel Santiniaman Barnayha, 37, resident of Barangay Bucalan, Canlaon City.
Barnayha reported to the police that at around 12:30 p.m. Thursday, a certain Bani Tamba hired the truck to haul sugarcane at Sitio Tabologo in Barangay Budlasan, also in Canlaon City.
While on the way to Tabalogo with a sugarcane worker, more or less 10 unidentified armed men waylaid them and instructed them to disembark, saying they will not harm them and that they were only after the truck.
The suspects allegedly told them that the owner “refused to pay revolutionary tax”, the police report said.
The armed men then poured gasoline on the truck and set it on fire, sending the driver and the sugarcane worker, whose name was not mentioned in the initial police report, to flee the area.
The estimated distance from the place of the burning incident to Canlaon City proper was around 20 kilometers, the police said.
Portento said the burning incident implies the NPA wants to show that it is still “alive and kicking”. He assured that the police are not taking this incident lightly because it has a negative impact on business and the peace and order situation in the province.
“While we are working on eliminating other forms of crime like illegal drugs and gambling, and now this. Burning and extortion are also crimes and we are looking at ways to address these,” said Portento.
Meanwhile, the 15th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army will be deployed to Negros Oriental next week.
He said the Army battalion will be a big help in addressing the insurgency problem here, considering that the PNP cannot do it alone.
Initial information received by the police director revealed the 15th IB will arrive on Sunday at the Dumaguete airport and will be officially welcomed during an official ceremony at the Capitol on Monday morning. (PNA)
