AFP on the prowl of Reds, confirms attack of construction site in Negros town
Government forces widened its pursuit in Negros Occidental of armed elements belonging to communist terrorists New People's Army (NPA).
This, after a confirmed attack on one major construction in the town of La Castellana by some 30 NPAs, four of whom were amazons.
In a report to The News Today (TNT), Captain Lowen Gil Marquez said the incident occurred about 7 p.m. Saturday. The communist terrorists reportedly overpowered security of the construction site and began burning heavy equipment in the area.
As in the past incidents, the Reds'-attack was believed to be an off-shoot of the company's refusal to heed extortion attempt. It was not immediately clear how much was demanded alongside the damage incurred in the burning of heavy equipment.
"Initial report was that the more or less 30 communist terrorists bombed and burned the machineries there. It happened in Barangay Biak na Bato. Our soldiers were immediately dispatched to go after the terrorists and the civilians in the area are helping us locate their whereabouts. The armed communist terrorists fled after the bombing and burning to unknown directions and we got our lead from the local community," Captain Marquez added.
Marquez is the commanding officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) 3rd Civil Relations Group.
Meantime, a Panay island-wide monitoring has been ordered by the AFP hierarchy on criminal activities of the local Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). No particulars were disclosed by Captain Marquez. Yet in a latest follow-up, Captain Marquez acknowledged that the order for monitoring is aimed as pre-emptive government action to what he said are "communist terrorism plans."