• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
One of the suspected New People’s Army rebels, believed to be among those behind the recent destruction of heavy equipment being used in the construction of a farm to market road, died in an encounter on Monday night at Crossing Lansang in Barangay Talaon, La Libertad, Negros Oriental.
The armed encounter led to the death of Rolito Tanillo, with aliases of Roy and Gamatoy, a member of the Sangay Yunit Pampropaganda Squad under the dismantled Central Negros 1 of the Komiteng Rehiyonal Negros/Cebu/Siquijor, and the recovery of an M14 rifle at the encounter site.
Soldiers of the 62nd Infantry Battalion were conducting pursuit operations of the NPA remnants responsible for the burning of two backhoes, a payloader, and a dump truck in Sitio Manghuya, Brgy. Aya, La Libertad on February 8, when they were able to catch up with four of the suspects, which led to a three-minute gunbattle.
None of the Army soldiers were hurt during the brief gunbattle.
In a statement issued on Monday, the NPA Leonardo Panaligan Command claimed responsibility for the burning of heavy equipment, alleging that the project will allow big mining corporations and other commercial deforestation into the area.
Estimated value of the damage on the torched heavy equipment was placed at P5 million.
Representative Jocelyn Limkaichong strongly condemned what she described as a brazen act of violence, where about 30 armed men set heavy equipment on fire in the hinterlands of La Libertad.
Col. J-Jay Javines, civil-military operations chief of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (ID), said the incident may delay the farm to market road project of the La Libertad municipal government, which is supposed to link up the hinterlands to the town poblacion.*
