SURIGAO CITY — Six heavy construction equipment units were either destroyed or damaged after three unidentified armed men set them on fire at a construction site in Purok 3, Barangay Danao, Surigao City, on Tuesday night, April 28.
According to PLTCOL Atty. Mariano Lukban, chief of the Surigao Component City Police Station (SCCPS), authorities immediately responded after receiving the report at around 9:21 p.m., though initial investigation showed the incident occurred earlier at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Upon arrival of responding personnel together with the 1st Surigao del Norte Provincial Mobile Force Company, authorities confirmed that three heavy equipment units—a backhoe, another backhoe, and an Elf truck—were completely gutted by fire. Two additional units, a road roller and a cement mixer, sustained partial damage.
Initial investigation revealed that the equipment belonged to MIGO Construction, which is currently engaged in a road construction project connecting Barangay Danao and Barangay Mat-i.
Based on the account of watchman Maijel Estebe Doquila, 49, a resident of Purok 2 in the same barangay, three suspects arrived at the site aboard a red RUSI motorcycle. Two of the armed men, whose firearm calibers remain unknown, reportedly engaged him in conversation to distract him.
While the watchman was being engaged, the third suspect proceeded to the parking area of the heavy equipment and allegedly set the machines on fire before quickly returning to the motorcycle.
The suspects immediately fled toward the barangay proper after the incident.
Police said the attackers were armed, but the motive behind the burning remains unclear as of press time. Investigators are now pursuing multiple leads to identify and locate the suspects, while follow-up operations have been intensified.
Authorities have not ruled out possible work-related or personal grievances as angles in the ongoing investigation.
The SCCPS assured that all efforts are being undertaken to bring the perpetrators to justice and prevent similar incidents in the area.