ILOILO – A backhoe of a construction company was set on fire before dawn yesterday in Barangay Nanga, Guimbal town.
The heavy equipment was being used for the construction of a road.
Citing statements from witnesses, Senior Inspector Antonio Monreal Jr., Guimbal police station chief, said two men torched the backhoe around 1:25 a.m. then hurriedly left with several lookouts.
Sargasso Construction and Development Corp. owned the equipment.
As of this writing, no one had claimed responsibility for the arson but a representative of Sargasso Construction believed the motive of the attack was extortion, said Monreal.
However, “the construction firm did not show to us any extortion letter,” he said.
There were reports that the backhoe figured in a road accident on March 28 involving a motorcycle driver who got hospitalized.
The victim’s family reportedly demanded hospitalization support but was ignored by the company.
The Bureau of Fire and Protection estimated the backhoe torching damage at P5 million./PN
