Reds torch building equipment in Quezon

Alleged members of the communist New People’s Army in Bondoc Peninsula, raided a construction site in San Francisco, Quezon burning equipment being used to build a road, two days after Christmas truce on Dec. 24 and 25, military officials said yesterday.

The latest rebel atrocities also resulted in the destruction of the living quarters of construction personnel after they also set the structure on fire, Maj. Randolf Cabangbang, spokesman of the Southern Luzon Comamnd (Solcom) said.

Cabangbang said the rebels carried out the attack following continued refusal of Nani Tan, municipal mayor of San Francisco, to pay revolutionary taxes for the destroyed heavy equipment. Tan owns the destroyed heavy equipment.

According to Cabangbang, the militants numbering to about 20 fully armed men swooped down at the road construction site Wednesday morning at Sitio Mangahan, Barangay Pagsangahan and burned a grader and com­pactor.

Before leaving the place unmolested, the insurgents also set on fire the temporary living quarters of the construction personnel.

This is the third major atrocities committed by the rebels before and after Christmas, or a day after their self-declared two-day Christmas truce have lapsed.

On Dec. 16, the rebels ambushed and killed three Marines in Palawan and a week later, they also raided a police station in Samar, killing a militiaman before taking off with a cache of firearms.

Maj. Eugene Osias, chief of the 7th Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) described the NPA attack in San Francisco as anti-development and anti-people.