A portion of a more than 100-hectare sugarcane field that was already due for harvest, leased by a farm owned by businessman Wilfredo Anglo, was hit by fire on Wednesday afternoon, March 11, in Purok 5, Sitio San Jose Baling, Barangay Libacao in Himamaylan City, just days after communist rebels torched several farm equipment belonging to the same company.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said around one hectare of nearly harvestable sugarcane was burned at 4:30pm in Purok 5, Sitio San Jose Baling, Barangay Libacao.
Fire authorities told Brigada News FM on Thursday, March 12, that the cause of the fire remains under investigation. The area where the incident occurred has no nearby houses or establishments, raising questions about how the fire started.
The sugarcane field was being leased by Wilfredo Anglo, owner of W.D. Agro Farms.
The incident came just three days after several farm equipment owned by the company were set on fire late Sunday night, March 8. The New People’s Army (NPA) later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a “sanction” over alleged unfair working conditions of farm workers.
However, the farm manager, identified only as “Kardo,” dismissed the rebel group’s allegations.
BFP personnel said farm workers had already managed to extinguish the fire using spades and other farm tools before firefighters arrived.
Authorities estimated the damage to the burned sugarcane at around P150,000.
Police and military authorities are still determining whether the latest fire is connected to the earlier attack claimed by the communist rebels.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.