NPA owns up to banana firm attack

From the Manila Bulletin (Oct 13): NPA owns up to banana firm attack

The New People’s Army (NPA) has taken responsibility for a recent attack on a banana export firm here, saying that it was a punitive action for the company’s unjust labor practices, and land grabbing activities and environmental destruction in the area.

In a statement to the media, Ka Dencio Madrigal, spokesperson of the NPA-Far South Mindanao Region, accused the Japanese-owned Sumifru Phils. Corp. of giving low compensation to banana plantation workers and non-payment of rental to landowners who leased out their lands for the firm’s banana plantation.

Some 30 heavily-armed NPA guerillas swooped down on the company’s packing plant in Barangay Laconon last October 2, and burned down its building and two water tankers.

The NPA rebels also disarmed the company’s security guards of their firearms, including two .9mm pistols, and 12 gauge shotguns, and two handheld radio.

“The NPA-FSMR took a punitive action against the multinational agri-corporation for its persistent land grabbing activities, environmental destructions and unjust labor policies,” Madrigal said.

Authorities placed the damage at P6 million.

The company’s employees labor union confirmed the firm’s alleged unfair labor practices, such as underpayment of salaries, unjust salary deductions and union busting.

Dodong Flores, Vice-President of the Sumifro Phils. Inc. Employees Union alleged that company officials connived with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for suspending the conduct of a certification election for employees union after a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the incumbent ALU-TUCP employees union and Sumifro management terminated last June.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/10/13/npa-owns-up-to-banana-firm-attack/