Suspected rebels burn cargo truck in Negros Occidental

Authorities are now hunting down suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels who burned a 10-wheeler cargo truck in Himamaylan City in Negros Occidental on Sunday, the news site Visayan Daily Star reported. The report said at around 6:00 a.m. Sunday,armed men flagged down the truck owned by a certain Gerardo Titular and burned it. Lt. Col. Ramil Bitong, 11th Infantry Battalion commander, said the the burning of the truck may have stemmed from the owner's refusal to pay revolutionary taxes. The Visayan Daily Star said three of the armed men wore camouflage uniforms and had high-powered firearms. The suspects were said to have fled toward Carabalan village in Himamaylan City. Two weeks ago, 11th IB troopers figured in armed skirmishes with five suspected NPA rebels in Buenavista village in Himamaylan City. In that skirmish, the suspected NPAs left behind a homemade shotgun and combat packs containing personal belongings. - VVP, GMA News