In a desperate move to derail the efforts of the Northern Samar Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, the Communist NPA Terrorists (CNTs) burned several construction equipment around 4 a.m. on Thursday, July 29, in Brgy. San Francisco, Las Navas, Northern Samar.
Burned equipment includes a 10-wheeler dump truck, two backhoes, crane, one self-loading vehicle (prime mover), soil compactor, grader, two loaders, and generator set.
The said equipment are owned by MDU Construction with more than a hundred employed construction workers in the completion of the road project in barangays Quirino and San Francisco, both of Las Navas. The project which is targeted to be completed by end of December this year, shall connect the Northern Samar and Eastern Samar provinces in Eastern Visayas.
The information received disclosed that more or less 20 fully-armed CNTs arrived in the area and simultaneously burned the above-mentioned equipment.
Accordingly, the CNTs burned the equipment due to the refusal of the construction company’s owner to their extortion demand.
Major General Pio Q. Diñoso III, commander of the 8th Infantry Division in his statement said that the recent burning of construction equipment used for road projects in Las Navas clearly showed that the NPA is anti-development, anti-people, and anti-Samarnons.
“This terroristic action has derailed the completion of this vital road project that will connect the Eastern towns of Samar to the rest of the island and make the lives of the people in the area much easier. There could only be one reason for this arson, their demand for money or more money has not been met as contractors have had enough of these terrorists’ extortion. Nonetheless, the contractors will not be cowed and have pledged to not give in to terrorists’ demands,” Major General Diñoso said.
Diñoso also assured the people of Eastern Visayas that the Philippine Army will work closely wCancelith these project proponents to ensure that projects of the government will be finished and be delivered to the people at all costs.
“While this setback has been costly, projects will continue and no terrorist will be able to stop us if we will act together against them,” Diñoso added. (8ID, PA)
