Bicol classroom burned, PCOS machines kept intact

Police remain baffled over the burning of a classroom to be used as a polling center in Camarines Sur province in Bicol over the weekend. While police said they are not discounting the involvement of the communist New People's Army, they are puzzled why the perpetrators did not take any voting equipment. "Walang nawala na PCOS machines. Kami [ay] nagtataka bakit doon sa isang polling center na gagamitin sa isang kwarto lang ang sinunog. Hindi namin maintindihan ang intention (No PCOS machine was taken. Why will perpetrators attack a polling center and not take anything? We do not understand it)," Philippine National Police deputy for administration Deputy Director General Edgardo Acuña said in an interview on dzBB radio. But Acuña admitted they remained puzzled as to the motive behind the incident. He said the area where the incident occurred is considered a "Red area" where the NPA holds some influence. "Ang lugar na yan medyo Red area. Yan ang aming iniimbestigahan ngayon (The area where the incident occurred is a Red area. That is what we are investigating now)," he said. "Ang pinaghihinalaan natin ay ang ating mga kaibigan sa kabundukan, nguni't ito ang kanilang trend na ginagawa sa malalayong lugar kung saan ang seguridad ay manipis (We suspect our friends in the mountains because they tend to attack areas where our forces are spread thinly)," he added. Burned shortly after midnight of Saturday was the Sipocot South Central School in Camarines Sur. Destroyed in the fire, which occurred during a power interruption, were 200 books and an electric fan, along with plastic chairs. The classroom was near the school principal’s office which contained some PCOS machines. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV