Manhunt on for arsonists in Caloocan fire

MANILA, Philippines — Authorities are on the lookout for four still unidentified men who torched two establishments at a disputed property in Caloocan Friday.

At least five witnesses have issued a joint affidavit identifying four bonnet-wearing men who doused garments in gasoline and lit them to burn a bakery shop and a funeral parlor, arson prober Fire Officer 1 Cedrick Pardiñas said.

The fire was “intentional” but witnesses stopped short of identifying the group behind the arson for fear of reprisal, the investigator told The STAR yesterday.

At least 11 houses were destroyed in the fire at a disputed property in Pangarap Village, Caloocan at past midnight Friday.

The fire, which was put out at around 3 a.m., left 33 families homeless and caused P500,000 in damages.

This was the fifth time the property was hit by a fire, which residents attribute to a group who want to evict them, probers said.

Residents of Pangarap Village are locked in a property dispute with Carmel Development Inc. (CDI) after the lot became a resettlement area during the Marcos administration. 

The lot dispute between the land developer and residents stemmed from a complaint filed by a group of teachers against CDI for preventing the restoration of power at the Pangarap Elementary School and Pangarap High School in Barangays 181 and 182.

Caloocan Regional Trial Court Branch later granted a temporary restraining order against CDI, granting the petition for TRO and writ of preliminary injunction filed by the teachers.

Last December, three security guards of CDI were wounded in a blast at the disputed lot.

A two-story house in Barangay 176, Bagong Silang also went up in flames at past midnight Friday. It was reportedly caused by an electric cigarette that was left charging in the house.