NAGA CITY -- HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS worth of public works projects being implemented in Bikol provinces are reportedly threatened by communist rebels, following the torching of heavy equipment by DPWH contractors in Presentacion, Cam. Sur. This developed as earlier, suspected rebels entered the DPWH district office in Gubat, Sorsogon and allegedly warned officials against non-payment of rebel taxes.
Suspected communist rebels torched four dump trucks, one bulldozer, and one backhoe in the third district town of Presentacion, Cam Sur, based on reports reaching the police provincial office (PPO) here on Monday (June 1).
Cam. Sur police director, Sr. Supt. Rodolfo Llorca ordered Presentacion police chief Gilmore Ruizo to further investigate the incident that occurred evening of Saturday (May 30), with initial damages to engineering equipment reaching P 6-Million.
Sources at the DPWH 3rd engineering district in Tigaon, Cam. Sur bared that some of the brand new equipment burned by the rebels were used at the worksite of the Caramoan Peninsula Road, a remote national road section stretching some 87-kilometers from Lagonoy and Presentacion towns into Guijalo Road in Caramoan town.
The lenghty road project is reportedly part of the pump-priming projects being implemented by the DPWH regional office under director Orlando Roces, and is earmarked an estimated P 500- Million for widening, concreting and slopes protection of the said Partido Highway.
Big-time contractors of the Caramoan Peninsula Road identified as Sunwest Construction under contractor Zaldy Cu; GCI Construction, owned by Gigi Ibasco; and BDL Construction have won the bid on the said projects.
Meanwhile last week, the PNP regional command in Camp Simeon Ola reported that 30 suspected NPA rebels broke into the DPWH 2nd engineering district office of Sorsogon province in Gubat, Sorsogon, under district engineer Edgar M. Curativo.
According to DPWH asst. regional director Oscar Cristobal, Curativo has not sent an official report to the regional office concerning the incident after rebels had warned Curativo "to stop all public works projects" until payment of revolutionary taxes were made. (SONNY SALES)