|
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Woman burns self, 3 children
By Mia E. Abellana
CEBU CITY -- A mother and her three children perished in a fire that hit their house in Doña Cristina Subdivision in Banawa, Guadalupe in Cebu City Friday afternoon.
Neighbors claimed that Emma Diaz, 25, deliberately set fire to the house and refused to let her children, aged between eight months and five years old, out of the house.
Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007 Coverage
Log on to Sun.Star's chatroom for updates on election results
Charred beyond recognition were eight-month-old Nicky, two-year-old Devincil, and five-year-old Ritchel.
Diaz’s live-in-partner, Aurelio Verano Jr., told reporters it was not the first time Diaz tried to set their house on fire.
He said that the last time his partner attempted to start a fire inside their house, someone was able to stop her.
While he recalled that they parted on good terms Friday, he said Diaz was disappointed because they were unable to go to Ormoc City.
Diaz’s father reportedly arrived last Saturday and invited them over to Ormoc.
Diaz tried to convince him but Verano said they did not have enough money to go on vacation.
“Ambisyosa man gud na siya. Naa gani mga butang among silingan, ganahan pod siya mopalit (She was quite ambitious. Whenever the neighbors have something new, she also wanted to buy the same thing),” Verano told reporters.
On Friday, Verano was at the cockpit in Banawa where he works as a masiador when the fire started at 3:14 p.m.
The Cebu City Fire Department declared the blaze controlled in two minutes.
Aside from the Veranos’ house, the fire also razed the homes of Emelyn Timblor and Arnold Herbise.
The fire quickly ate up the three structures as these were made of light materials.
SFO3 Felix Romero placed the damage at P75,000.
Fire and homicide investigators have not yet concluded that Diaz intentionally started the fire.
Initially, they are looking into a fallen gas lamp as the cause of the blaze.
Whether it was knocked over intentionally, police and fire investigators could not tell yet.
They said that since it was nap time, someone may have accidentally knocked over the lamp.
However, investigators wondered why they were using a gas lamp when it was still bright. The family also had electricity.
Verano, though, is sure that Diaz started it.
“Lain man gud na siya mabuntis. Mukalit lang og sibat. Putong sad na siya, magsige og hinuktok (She’s short-fused and often morose when she’s pregnant. She just ups and leaves suddenly),” he said.
A 10-year-old cousin of the children said she heard Ritchel screaming inside the house. “Mama, gawas na ta. Naa na’y kayo (Mama, let’s get away from the flames),” she heard the child plead.
However, she claimed that Diaz prevented her son from doing so. “Ayaw na lang, Ritchel,” was what she heard Diaz say.
Complete silence followed shortly, and the girl failed to hear any more cries for help.
The girl said that after this, her mother told her to run in case the fire spread to their house.
Neighbors also claimed that they knocked on the doors and pleaded with Diaz to let them help her get the children out of the house.
But she reportedly locked the doors.
Nicky was found under the house where weak floorboards may have given way. Ritchel was found on the floor. Devincil was found beside his mother’s body, inside the bedroom. (Sun.Star Cebu)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (May 21, 2007 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
