From the Journal Online (Feb 10): Equipment burning wasn’t about money -- NPA leader
The burning of heavy equipment of a construction firm doing road projects in Quezon province had nothing to do with the alleged non-payment of ‘revolutionary tax’ that the New People’s Army (NPA) imposes to big business establishments.
This was disclosed by Cleo del Mundo, spokesperson of NPA’s Apolonio Mendoza Command operating in southern Quezon.
In a statement, Del Mundo said that while the Armed Forces of the Philippines is busy in running after the rebel movement, the latter remains busy in looking after the welfare and interest of the masses.
Del Mundo was referring to four heavy equipment owned by Rapid Foremost Construction Company that were burned by 30 heavily armed rebels last Wednesday night.
The company which has been doing road projects in Bgy. Casay, San Francisco, is owned by a certain Joey Ang.
She said the rebels carried out the action in response to complaints they have been receiving from the company workers and residents it maltreated.
“Tinugunan lamang ng isang yunit ng Apolonio Mendoza Command-New People’s Army sa lalawigan ng Quezon ang kahilingan ng mga tao sa bayan ng San Francisco kaugnay sa kanilang reklamo sa isang kumpanya ng quarry ng buhangin at bato na pag-aari ni Joey Ang,” said Del Mundo.
She said the complaints include the very low and delayed salary given by the company to its workers, and its failure to pay the residents of the agreed amount after the hauling of rocks from the quarry site to the project site.
The rebels, armed with rifles and led by Joseph delos Santos, alias “Ka Bingot,” arrived at 10:30 p.m., took the workers’ mobile phones and started setting on fire two truck mixers, a dump truck and a bulldozer before fleeing on foot to the forested area of the village.
As a counter measure, Quezon police director Senior Supt. Rhoderick Armamento have already directed all units down to station level to monitor vital installations, malls and power lines to prevent any untoward incidents.
On the part of the military, Southern Luzon Comand (Solcom) spokesman Maj. Virgilio Perez said the rebels did it due to their inability to retaliate to military forces.
http://www.journal.com.ph/news/provincial/equipment-burning-wasn-t-about-money-npa-leader
Let me see... so the pro-people actions carried out by the NPA include stealing the cellphones of workers and destroying the equipment on which their livelihood depends while at the same time lessening the construction company's ability to pay its workers or compensate locals.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't sound to "pro-people" to me.
Despite the assertions of Cleo del Mundo, the Apolonio Mendoza Command's chief propagandist, it is all about money/failure to pay revolutionary taxes.
The NPA has devolved into a Mafia-like organization that demands protection money and inflicts its reign of terror on those who fail to comply. By the way, where does all the money extorted from businesses, farmers, and ordinary Filipinos go? No one holds the NPA accountable for the disposition of its stolen funds. There is no transparency. Who really profits from this criminal activity -- Joseph delos Santos (aka “Ka Bingot”) or is it Cleo del Mundo? Who knows? But one thing we do know is that it sure isn't the local peasants or workers.