NPAs cart away kitchen utensils in raid

LEGAZPI CITY – Even kitchen utensils were not spared during the biggest raid conducted by the New People’s Army (NPA) in Bicol this year.

The heavily-armed NPA guerillas also carted away cellphones from the employees of El Dore Mining Corp., .30 assorted firearms, including shotguns, .45 caliber  pistol, 9mm handgun, 38 caliber revolver as well as UHF and VHF radio sets and eight laptop computers during the raid on Wednesday afternoon.

The rebels torched three trucks, a bulldozer, drill rig, and the power generator set of the mining firm after refusing to pay the demanded “revolutionary tax.”

El Dore Mining Corp. is reportedly owned by Australian Timothy Culver. Nobody was reported hurt during the raid.

“Maybe they are going to celebrate after their successful raid,” said Major Ronald Rosario of the Civil Relations Service in Bicol.

Rosario said the insurgents were divided in two groups, one group composed of about 50 had red ribbons on their firearms while the others had white ribbons. The color-coding was used to prevent them from firing at each other.

The rebels were led by Ka Faustino (Ramon Ariente in real life) and a  certain Ka Emy of the Mario Felomino Command of the NPA in Camarines Norte.

The heavily armed NPAs numbering about 100 who were armed with three M-60 LMGs, 11 with M-203 grenade launchers and M-14 rifles arrived at the El Dore Mining Corp. at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and immediately at gun point disarmed the security guards.

The mining firm located at Sitio Nalisbitan is about 42 kms from Labo town proper.

The 902 Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army under Col. Lucan Luces has its headquarters at Barangay Tulay na Lupa is five kms. from Labo town proper.

After the raid, the rebels on board several vehicles withdrew toward the boundary of Quezon province.

Rosario said the NPA wanted to compensate the voluminous ammunition ceased by the Armed Forces in the coastal Barangay of Sablayan in Juban town as well as in Barangay Salvacion in Magallanes on Sept. 30 and also in Barangay San Isidro in Castilla town, Sorsogon on Oct. 2.

On Sept. 30 an Army patrol led by Sgt. Vic Regore of the 92nd Regional Command impounded a motorized banca in Barangay Sablayan in Juban town, Sorsogon loaded with 1,000 round of live ammunition for M-60 machine gun, 900 rounds for M-16 rifle, 15 clips for M-1 Garand rifle and seven magazines for M-16 rifle.

Inside the banca reportedly owned by a certain Gilber Olar alyas “Ingo” of Barangay Karahayan in Juban, Sorsogon were communist propaganda meterials titled “ ULOS.” Olar was able to escape

On the same date, a team of Scout Rangers recovered one 9mm handgun, four rifle grenades for M-16 rifle, a Bushnel binocular, three improvised landmines including two detonating cords and three rolls of wire during a 15-minute encounter with some 18 NPA guerillas in Barangay Salvacion in Magallanes town, Sorsogon.