Hot pursuit operations by government troops continued yesterday of communist New People’s Army gunmen who attacked Saturday a nickel mining company and torched over P109 million worth of vehicles and equipment in the firm’s compound in Barangay Macambol near the Mt. Hamiguitan Heritage Site which is part of Mati City, Davao Oriental.
Reports from the 701st Infantry Brigade said that 27 vehicles were burned by about 15 NPA armed men in the compound of the mining firm and its general contractor Frasec Ventures Corporation at Salingkomot, Sitio (Sub-village) Magum, Barangay (village) Macambol.
In an initial investigation, it was said that around 4:30 in the morning, the heavily armed rebels raided the compound and overpowered the guards. The attack lasted for two hours.
Mati City deputy police chief Inspector Leonilo Lad said that the NPAs took five shotguns and two carbine rifles owned by the Mil-Oro guards as they fled the place.
Aside from the armed weapons, it is said that the rebels also took nine handheld radios, three GPS (global positioning system) gadgets, a laptop computer, a digital camera, two wristwatches and a pair of shoes.
The pegged damage made to the two compounds reached up to P109,600,000.
