BACOLOD CITY - At least 20 unidentified armed men believed to be members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were allegedly behind the burning of a backhoe worth P7 million at a quarry site in Sitio Nandong, Barangay Orong, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental on Wednesday, March 2.
Lt. Col. Raymond Cruz, Kabankalan City police chief, said the incident was reported late to the authorities.
Cruz said that according to a watchman at the quarry site, he was checking all the backhoes parked in the area when he saw a group of men armed with long firearms.
One of them then reportedly approached the watchman and asked him about the backhoe owned by a contractor who allegedly has not give them revolutionary taxes, Cruz said.
Afterwhich, two of the armed men poured gasoline on the backhoe and set it on fire, damaging the said equipment, Cruz said.
Cruz said the watchman was left unharmed by the armed men.
Based on intelligence monitoring, there have been previous sightings of NPAs in the area.