THE City Prosecutor's Office formally charged a 76-year-old man accused of putting his house on fire and destroying 46 others in Sitio Sta. Cruz in Leon Garcia, Agdao last Monday.

Charged with destructive arson was Pedro Aurita, a resident of the place, after prosecutor Gaye Ca?ete-Magdagasang found probable cause to hold him for court trial based on the accounts of neighbor Maricar Amparo Mejasco.

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In her affidavit, Mejasco said she was watching television with her brother around 1 a.m. of July 13 when she smelled something like kerosene.

Suspecting something amiss, she peeped out to see Aurita lighting a match and igniting a wooden wall of his house.

Mejasco only had enough time to wake her father up and vacate their house along with their television set.

No bail was recommended for the respondent's temporary liberty. (RMH)