NPA rebels torch lemon farms, clash with militias in South

From the Mindanao Examiner (Oct 9): NPA rebels torch lemon farms, clash with militias in South

The communist insurgent group New People’s Army claimed to have wounded 8 government militias in a clash and destroyed lemon farms and farm equipment owned by wealthy family in southern Philippines, a rebel spokesman said Tuesday.

Omar Ibarra said rebel forces swooped down on the farms owned by Charity Ampong and torched her truck and destroyed an estimated 18 hectares of lemon fields in the village of Balit in Agusan del Sur’s San Luis town on October 4.

Ibarra accused the farm owner of not paying her workers correct wages in accordance with the law and branded Ampong as “despotic landlord.”

“Landlord Charity Ampong owns hundreds of hectares of lemon field in the barangay, yet she only pays impoverish wages to her farm-workers amounting to P250 per day,” he said.

There was no immediate statement from Ampong on the rebel group’s allegations, but Ibarra said fighting erupted the next day after government militias were deployed to hunt down the raiders.

Ibarra said fighting eventually broke out and one rebel, Joel Seguero, was killed by militias. “It was confirmed that 8 members of CAA (Civilian Active Auxiliary) were wounded-in-action. On the other hand, the NPA offered its highest salute to Ka Joel Seguero, who was martyred,” he said.

The military did not release any statement, but the NPA has been fighting for many decades now for the establishment of a separate state in the country.

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