NPA rebels burn heavy equipment at Del Monte's Bukidnon plantation

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 22): NPA rebels burn heavy equipment at Del Monte's Bukidnon plantation

Suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels burned a heavy equipment used by Del Monte Philippines, Inc. (DMPI) in Bukidnon, a belated military report here said Wednesday.

Capt. Norman Tagros, spokesperson of the Army 401st Brigade, said communist rebels raided the DMPI plantation in the outskirt of Malaybalay City on Monday night and disarmed and seized the firearms of private security guards before burning the heavy equipment.

He said that a tractor, three boom harvesters and a Skinner were burned before the rebels withdrew under cover of darkness.

Tagros said the police and the military sent a combined team of operatives to pursue the rebels, but they have not made contact as of Wednesday.

He said that an investigation to determine whether the heavy equipment were owned by the DMPI or company contractors is still going on.

“We want to find out whether DMPI or a sub-contractor owns the heavy equipment because there were reports that the DMPI owns the equipment,” Tagros said.

Last week, NPA rebels also burned a fuel tanker owned by a sub-contractor of DMPI in the company’s plantation in the outskirt of Balingasag, one of the rebel-infested towns, east of Misamis Oriental.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=973823