THE Philippine Army on Sunday, September 17, condemned the New People's Army (NPA) for staging an attack on one of the towers of Helios Solar Energy Corporation plant in Barangay Tinampaan, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.
"The attack (on Thursday night) is an intentional destruction of developmental and economic installation which provides sufficient supply of solar energy in the said town," said Major General Jon Aying, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division (ID), in a press statement.
The 132.5-megawatt solar farm, considered the largest in Southeast Asia and the seventh biggest in the world, was inaugurated in March last year.
According to the Army, about 10 armed men fired at Tower No. 7 around 10:15 p.m. on Thursday, damaging several solar panel boards and a CCTV camera all worth P250,000.
It was initially reported that the damage was worth about P1.5 million.
Responding authorities recovered six shells of M203 grenade launcher, five live ammunition of .45 caliber pistol, two live ammunitions of garand rifle, two long magazines of M16 with five live ammunition, two pins of hand grenades, and several bullets shells of various high-powered firearms.
Moreover, Aying said he believes the rebels staged the attack after the company refused to give in to the extortion reportedly demanded by the NPA's Roselyn Pelle Jean Command-Northern Negros Front.
The Army official lauded the solar company for "rejecting the NPA's selfish demand."
"Refusal to NPA's extortion demand is equivalent to disapproval of their terroristic acts like killings, arsons, and rebellion" Aying added.
The 3rd ID also said that with the attack, "the NPA in Negros Island once again shows their true nature as anti-people and anti-development armed group."