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Wednesday, April 16, 2003
3 minors burn to death in house
By Claudine C. Dumalag
THREE minors burned to death inside their house while their two other cousins, who are also minors, survived a tragic fire last week in Sitio Sa-an, Barangay Maricalum, four to five kilometers away from Sipalay City.
Initial police investigation showed that the parents of the victims were not around when fire razed their house as they were selling their produce in the market in Sitio Pinutusan, also in Barangay Maricalum, about five kilometers away from Sitio Sa-an.
The two survivors told the police that they were asleep when the house, made of light materials, caught fire when one of the victims accidentally kicked the kerosene lamp they were using.
Rescue groups and personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection said they found it difficult to respond immediately as the house was located in a far-flung sitio.
When they reached the area, the house was already gutted down, the rescuers added.
The fatalities were identified as Mary Joy Marata, 8; Sonny Toling, and his brother Solomon, 7, while the police named those who survived as Mary Grace Marata, and Samuel Toling, 4.
The remains of the Toling brothers were placed in a coffin and buried last Friday along with Marata's body.
A barangay councilor said the Sipalay City Government has already extended financial assistance to the family of the victims.
On the other hand, the survivors are now under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) of Sipalay.
In November last year, four sisters were hacked and burned to death in Sitio Pulupinya, Barangay Baclao, Cauayan town.
The victims were identified as the Roldan sisters - Lyzel, 16; Aireen, 11; Jennifer, 9; and Rachel 6, who were killed with a bolo by their neighbor, Saturnino Labarnes, 23.
The suspect was reportedly a suitor of Lyzel.
He was arrested by the Cauayan police two days after the incident.
The burning allegedly took place while the victims were sleeping. Police said that the suspect hacked Lyzel first.
He then killed the three other sisters, took a lamp then burned the nipa hut.
Police added that the parents of the victims were also not around as they were working in a farm, about four kilometers away, when the incident happened.
The suspects' cousin, Jomar Montilla, 16, identified Labarnes as the suspect.
Montilla disclosed that Labarnes was angry at Lyzel after the latter reportedly told his wife that the suspect made her (Lyzel) pregnant.
The suspect, however, said he has a misunderstanding with the Roldan family after they uprooted some of his crops.
(April 15, 2003 issue)
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