Exec says banana firm attacked by rebels got no demand letter

From the Mindanao Gold Star Daily (Aug 27): Exec says banana firm attacked by rebels got no demand letter

AGUSAN del Norte––Banana firm Mindanao Agri Traders Inc. (MAI), which leased a Cessna plane burned by the New People’s Army (NPA) on Friday evening, said it has not received any demand ketter for revolutionary taxes from the rebels.

MAI officer-in-charge Romeo Panis said he was unaware of any past or present demand for money by the rebels. “I don’t know if our Davao office received any but here in our office, we have not received any demand so far.”

MAI is maintaining a 225-hectare banana plantation situated in Barangay Soriano, CabadbaranCity, Agusn del Norte.

Panis and MAI security chief Daniel Busbos have called on authorities to step up security measures in Barangay Soriano.

Three guards who were disarmed and tied up by rebels said the NPA entered the hangar rented by MAI at around 5:30 pm on Friday. They said the rebels were wearing police uniforms.

They said the rebels told guards Jacinto Salas Gales, 58, and Jay-ar Acebis Loreto, 27, that they were running after suspected shabu pushers who supposedly went inside the hangar.

The two guards said they allowed the rebels to enter the hangar but as soon as they did, more came and the guards were told that they were really NPA rebels out to burn a plane and the hangar.

Some took videos while others got cartons and sacks, and set the airplane on fire, the guards said.

The rebels burned the plane owned by the Davao-based Philippine Agricultural Aviation Corp., eight drums of Aviation gas, Hangar airstrip, a generator, and chemicals used to spray for the banana plantation.

No one was hurt, and the fire was put out at around 9 pm on Friday.
The hangar was owned by Alberto M. Soriano Banana and Fruit Co..

Meanwhile, Insp. Mervin Suva Laborera, head of the Agusan del Norte Provincial Police Mobile Group, said he and his men heard an explosion at around 7:30 pm that day.

Laborera said they decided not to respond because they feared the rebels have deployed forces near the area.

“We never really expected a NPA attack at the hangar although there were intelligence reports that NPA rebels will attack vital installations in Tubay, Santiago and Jabonga towns. We conducted combat patrol operations days before that Friday evening attack at the hangar,” Laborera said.

http://www.goldstardailynews.com.ph/mindanao/exec-says-banana-firm-attacked-by-rebels-got-no-demand-letter.html