Non-payment of revolutionary tax behind torching of vans in Iloilo
New People's Army (NPA) rebels burned two passenger vans in Miag-ao town Saturday morning because its operators refused to pay revolutionary taxes.
In a related development, the Iloilo City Police Office admitted it failed to monitor the entry of NPA rebels into the city.
Iloilo City acting police chief, Supt. Eugenio Espejo said in an interview over Aksyon Radyo Iloilo Saturday night that he had not received an intelligence report of the NPA's plan nor of their presence in the city.
Iloilo provincial police director, Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz said that the rebels boarded the two vans at the Mohon terminal in the City's Molo district.
He said that the rebels were with the NPA's Southern Front Committee under a certain Bebong Camariosa.
According to de la Paz, the NPA has been demanding revolutionary taxes from Susie Stars, owner and operator of the two vans.
"The operator has been receiving threats because it refused to pay revolutionary taxes," de la Paz told The News Today yesterday. He said that they are now coordinating with the transport operators and the drivers for their affidavit prior to the filing of the case.
Susie Stars, which is based in Antique, services the route from Iloilo City to San Jose, Antique and vice versa. At the same time, de la Paz corrected an earlier statement he made about the incident, which he based on the initial police investigation.
He said that the NPA rebels chartered the two vans at the terminal here in the city Saturday morning. They were in civilian clothes, de la Paz said, and carried no long arms.
Upon reaching the river in Brgy. Frantilla, Miag-ao town, another group, armed with high-powered rifles, were already waiting along the riverbank.
It was then that the rebels announced they were with the NPA and ordered the drivers to alight the vehicles.
The rebels, numbering about 20, exploded an improvised explosive device in one of the vans, destroying it. The second IED failed to explode, so the rebels set fire to the van, de la Paz said. Police recovered the second IED.
De la Paz described the IED as 'crude,' and was mainly anti-personnel or anti-structure. Its main ingredient was ammonium nitrate.
"This is similar to those they use in bombing cellsites," de la Paz said. "It's not really that powerful."