Alleged NPAs burn heavy equipment in Surigao City

September 7, 2017

Alleged members of New People’s Army (NPA) torched heavy equipment in Surigao City on Wednesday night, the military said. 2nd Lt. Jonel Castillo, Army’s 30th Infantry Battalion spokesman, said two heavy equipment were burned in the vicinity of Barangay Mapawa, Surigao City around 6:30pm. He said the equipment that was burned includes a backhoe and a compactor used for road construction. There a total of five such incidents in Surigao del Norte perpetrated by the NPAs this year, Castillo added. Castillo said the equipment owned by Galeo Equipment Corporation were burned by more or less 15 rebels that attack the area. “There are more or less 15 New People's Army conducted the atrocities and harassed the civilians guarding the equipment on the site,” he said. “Cellphones, gadgets and other personal belongings of the guards were looted by the fleeing NPA bandits,” he added. Castillo said the violence conducted by the rebels is a violation of the CARHRIHL (Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Laws) was signed between the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) and NDF ( National Demcratic Front) in March 16,1998. “These terrorists do not respect it anymore. They consider themselves as criminals,” he said. Robina Asido/ DMS