Authorities are investigating the motive and identities of the suspects in the burning of heavy equipment in a remote subvillage in La Libertad, Negros Oriental over the weekend.

Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO), said yesterday the destruction happened from around 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 8, in Sitio Manghuya, Barangay Aya.

Initial investigation showed that unidentified armed men torched two backhoes, a payloader and a dump truck of a construction company responsible for the building of a farm-to-market road.

No one was hurt in the incident. The suspects used gasoline to set the heavy equipment on fire.

Polinar said the scene of the burning incident was an estimated 32 kilometers up the mountains from the La Libertad town proper.

Troops from the 62nd Infantry Battalion (62IB) of the Philippine Army, the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police, and local police responded to the crime scene.

Lt. Colonel Evelio Ilanga, 62IB commanding officer, told the Philippine News Agency in a phone interview that the construction company retrieved one heavy equipment that was not burned.

Ilanga said the 62IB is assisting the police in the investigation while his troops are now securing the place.

“We are considering all possible motives for the burning incident. At this time, it is too early to say who is behind this,” Ilanga said.

He said the subvillage of Manghuya is not densely populated, but residents in the area are saying they have no idea or knowledge about the arson, apparently “afraid of repercussions.”

When asked about the possible involvement of the New People’s Army, police and military officials say it is too early to tell.

The site of the incident is situated on the boundary of Binalbagan in Negros Occidental and Barangay Linantuyan in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, Ilanga said. (PNA)