By CESAR JOLITO III

Remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA) set fire to three heavy equipment units at Sitio Medel, Barangay Carabalan in Negros Occidental’s Himamaylan City, an incident now being linked to an ongoing dispute over quarry operations in the area.

The NPA’s South Central Negros Guerrilla Front has claimed responsibility for the arson in a press release issued by its spokesperson, Ka Dionesio Magbuelas.

Destroyed in the attack were two dump trucks and a backhoe, all reportedly owned by Carabalan village chief Mildred Titular.

The equipment was valued at approximately P11 million.

In their statement, the South Central Negros Guerrilla Front justified the burning as a punitive action against quarry operations in the Paniplan River, which they claimed had caused extensive environmental damage.

Magbuelas alleged that the continued quarrying has deepened the riverbed, resulting in the drying up of nearby farmlands and making it difficult for residents to cross the river.

“The livelihood of farmers and workers in the area has suffered, and the environmental degradation has been ignored for too long,” Magbuelas said in the statement.

Authorities have yet to issue an official response to the incident.

The Philippine Army and police forces in Negros Occidental are expected to investigate the matter further, especially with the NPA’s public admission of responsibility.

The attack is the latest in a string of violent incidents in the region, highlighting the ongoing tension between armed insurgent groups and local development efforts./CJ, WDJ