THE Davao City Prosecutor’s Office recommended the filing of charges against the couple who was linked to a fire that razed around 70 houses in Tomas Monteverde Sr. village, Agdao, Davao City on November 27.
In a resolution dated December 5, Prosecutor Jose Paolo Evangelista has recommended the filing of destructive arson against Terrie Sarway Bandilan and Jean Martin Tay based on the evidence presented against them.
According to the resolution, the evidence showed that as a consequence of the couple's alleged act of burning their room, 70 houses were gutted by fire.
The suspects, who are live-in partners, were found to be leases of one of the rooms in a two-storey residential house owned by complainant Robenson Sambilad at Purok 7 and 6th Avenue of the village.
"Even assuming that they owned the said room, the case arson covers a situation where a person sets fire on his property under circumstances which expose to danger the life or property of another," Evangelista stated.
A witness stated under oath that at about 11 a.m. of the same date, she overheard the two having an argument where Bandilan allegedly threatened to burn the clothes of her wife.
The witness said she clearly heard this as she was living just two meters away from the boarding house owned by the complainant.
Moments later, the daughter of the witness alerted her of a smell of something burning and when the witness peeked on their window to check it, she allegedly saw Bandilan pulling off curtains and hurling them into a pile of burning clothes inside the respondent's room.
Another witness said that she also saw the two ran away from the room which was already set on fire.
Another witness also affirmed that she saw flames coming out of the room rented by the respondents. (KVC)
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