NPA rebels burn heavy equipment

KORONADAL CITY, Philippines – Suspected communist rebels burned around P30 million worth of road-building equipment of a construction firm on Tuesday.

Superintendent Barney Condes, Koronadal City police chief, said some 50 New People’s Army guerillas entered the company at around 8 p.m., disarmed the security guards and set on fire two dump trucks, two payloaders and a road grader.

Probers said the attack was in retaliation to the refusal of the owner of the company to pay “protection money” to the rebels.