Rebels torch mining equipment

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines   â€“ Suspected New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas raided a mining firm and set equipment on fire in Quirino town, Ilocos Sur Friday.

The attack on the Freeport McMoran-Phelps Dodge mining company in the village of Patiacan occurred at around 1 a.m., said town police chief Senior Inspector Zosimo Perez.

The gunmen burned a diamond drilling machine before fleeing.

The NPA’s Alfredo Cesar Command, based in southern Ilocos Sur, reportedly owned up to the attack, saying it was meant to punish the company for the alleged destructive operation in the area.