Suspected New People’s Army (NPA) members staged simultaneous attacks on agro-industrial firms Del Monte and Dole’s compounds in Bukidnon on Tuesday evening, killing a security guard and injuring two others, a military official said.
Lt. Col. Eugenio Osias, spokesman of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division said about 50 rebels conducted the attack on Del Monte’s plantation in Camp Philips, Manolo Fortich.
The rebels, who arrived on three vans and two trucks around 6:30 p.m., burned a tractor, sprayer, and other equipment of Del Monte then shot the company’s guards, Osias said by phone.
A guard initially identified as Boboy Neri was killed in the attack while two other guards named Franklin Millanes and Boboy Jumawan were wounded, according to the regional Army spokesman.
The rebels also “ransacked” buildings inside the compound and took civilians employees’ cellphones, laptops, and other valuables, Osias said.
Around the same time, an undetermined number of rebels also raided Dole’s plantation in Impasug-ong, where they took a guard’s caliber-.38 pistol, he said.
As this was going on, other rebels also conducted “checkpoints” in Brgy. La Fortuna, Impasug-ong, as well as in the town of Sumilao, Osias said.
Policemen from Manolo Fortich were stripped of two M16 rifles and an M14 rifle at one rebel roadblock, while civilians’ cellphones were confiscated, he said.

While withdrawing from the Del Monte plantation towards Brgy. Dahilayan, the rebels temporarily held a barangay chairman and some habal-habal drivers, who they used as “human shields” against pursuing troops, he said.
The abducted barangay chairman was confirmed to have been released Wednesday morning.
Local police have been sent to secure and conduct investigation at the areas while members of the 8th and 58th Infantry Battalions were scattered to pursue the rebels, he said.
“Sa ngayon contained na ‘yung area,” said Osias. (John Roson)
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