NPA suspected to be behind burning of heavy equipment in Zamboanga del Sur

HEAVILY-ARMED men believed to be members of the New People’s Army (NPA) torched heavy equipment of a construction firm Sunday night in Dumingag town, Zamboanga del Sur. Chief Superintendent Billy B. Beltran, regional police director, said the Dumingag police reported that the attackers surrounded the bunkhouse of Ramona Construction and poured gasoline on three dump trucks and other heavy equipment. These were set on fire but only the three dump truck units were destroyed as the fire went out before it consumed the rest of the equipment. Damage to property was estimated at P3 million. Chief Inspector Edgar R. Hinoctan, Dumingag police chief, led a team with troops from the 53rd Infantry Battalion in responding to the incident, but they failed to catch the suspected communist rebels. — philstar.com