By CESAR JOLITO III

The Romeo Nanta Command of the New People’s Army (NPA) South Central Negros Guerrilla Front has strongly denied any involvement in the fire that broke out on a farm at Barangay Libacao in Negros Occidental’s Himamaylan City.

The group clarified that it does not endorse the burning of hacienda properties, regardless of disputes involving landowners and labor issues.

The fire destroyed nearly one hectare of the 120-hectare farm in Purok 5’s Hacienda Jose Valing at 4:30 p.m. on March 12.

According to the NPA, the fire may have been the work of parties taking advantage of ongoing conflicts related to sanctions imposed on farm owner Wilfred Anglo for alleged poor labor practices, including low wages and weekly 10 percent interest charges on loans extended to workers through his intermediaries.

The NPA emphasized that such unauthorized acts could lead to uncontrolled damage, potentially affecting neighboring farms and homes, especially during the current dry season.

Authorities and residents have been urged to remain vigilant, as the NPA warned of possible exploitation of the incident by elements pretending to act on its behalf.

The group cited reports of prior attempts by local security forces and others to misrepresent NPA involvement for extortion and other purposes./CJ, WDJ