ZAMBOANGA CITY, 23 August 2003 — Suspected communist rebels burned a communication relay station in the southern province of Compostela Valley after its owners refused to pay extortion money, the military said yesterday. The facility owned by PhilCom, a private communication firm, is located in Mt. Pasian in Monkayo town.
At least 10 rebels attacked the relay station on Wednesday, field reports reaching the Southern Command here said.
The military estimated the damages to reach about 50 million pesos ($909,000).
Communist rebels have stepped up their attacks on government and private targets over the past weeks.
On Tuesday, NPA forces ambushed a government truck transporting members of the army’s engineering brigade in Davao Oriental province, near Compostela Valley, killing five of soldiers.
The soldiers were on their way to repair farm-to-market roads and wooden bridges in Baganga town when guerrillas struck.
The attacks coincided with a government plan to resume peace talks with the rebels, which were suspended two years ago when NPA gunmen killed two lawmakers despite a cease-fire.
Several other soldiers and civilians were reported killed in NPA attacks in Real town of Quezon province and in Mindoro, all in the north, earlier this week.
Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero, armed forces spokesman, said troops also clashed with communist guerrillas in the village of Along-ong in Libon town in Albay province, 330 kilometers southeast of Manila, yesterday.
The troops were on patrol when they encountered the guerrillas, he said.
“Three communists terrorists were killed and five high-powered firearms were recovered by our soldiers,” Lucero said. “There were no reports of casualties on the military side.”
