BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A group of unidentified armed men set ablaze two sugarcane cargo trucks on Wednesday, in Brgy. Tabun-ak, Toboso, Negros Occidental.
The owner of the two Isuzo cargo trucks was identified by the Toboso police as Teotimo Ballesteros Jr, and are driven by Alfredo Mahilum and Nelson Mahinay.
Estimated damage has been placed by the Toboso police at P600,000.
PMaj. John Ray Batadlan, Toboso police chief, yesterday said that the armed men only burned the engines of the two cargo trucks and spared sugarcane workers from harm.
Batadlan added that they cannot determined yet if there was an involvement of the New People’s Army in the arson incident.
He further said that the two trucks suffered only partial damage.
The motive of the incident is still being determined by the Toboso police.
Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, disclosed that the manner in committing the crime does not appear to be the handiwork of the communist terrorist group.
But Pasaporte said they are investigating the incident, to determine if it was indeed insurgency-related.*
