FORMER TEJERO BARANGAY CAPTAIN CADUNGOG HOUSE/NOV.14,2018:Unidentified resident watch the partial burn house of Tejero councilor Jessielou Cadungog on Wednesday (November 14). Initial investigation showed that mototcycle riding men threw mineral bottles believed to be containing gasoline at the Cadungog residence which caused the flame.(CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Cebu City is trying to identify and arrest arsonists, who were caught on camera attempting to burn down Tejero Councilman Jessielou Cadungog’s house at dawn of Nov. 14.
Fire Marshall Noel Abapon of the BFP Cebu City said in a phone interview on Wednesday (Nov. 14) that they had taken custody of the video footage of the security camera of the eatery beside the Cadungog house, which captured the scene of two men — one splashing gasoline in a 4 liter container on the front part of the three-storey house near where the air conditioning units were situated.
The second man was seen igniting the gasoline by throwing a “Molotov cocktail” at the area where the gasoline was splashed on.
“It is very clear on the footage that it was arson. Yet, it is difficult to identify anyone because of the headlights facing the camera.
We will continue the investigation to find the arsonists in this case,” said Abapon.
Video footage
The video footage showed six unidentified men on three motorcycles arrive at Cadungog’s house at around 2 a.m.
It was then that the two men started splashing gasoline on the front of the house and igniting it.
The Cadungogs however, were not at the house when the incident happened.
No one there
Tejero Barangay Chief, Hermogenes Gala, Jr., said that no one was living in the house since the botched ‘ambush’ of Cadungog last August.
Gala said that after the case settled down in August, Cadungog filed a six-month leave from being a barangay councilor.
Cadungog was expected to be back from his leave in February 2019.
Coordination
Meanwhile, Fire Marshall Abapon said that they would coordinate with the Waterfront Police Station to help in the investigation and arrest the arsonists.
Senior Insp. Joemar Pomarejos, Waterfront Police Station chief, said that he was dismayed that nobody reported the incident to the police prompting their late response to the incident.
“If my men were not roving the area, we would not have known of the incident. People in the area are usually cooperative to the police. I don’t know why this time they became hesitant (to seek police help),” said Pomarejos.
He also said that they would assist the BFP in their investigation and would provide what they would ask of the police.
Parallel probe
However, he also said that they were also conducting a parallel investigation of the incident.
He also said that they would increase the patrols in the area.
Pomarejos also said that the arson could have been prompted by a personal grudge against Cadungog especially since the CCTV footage of the incident showed that it was a planned-out action.
“Naa gyod naglagot ana niya nga suko kaayo sa iyaha. Pero di gyod ta ka ingon. (Someone must be very angry at him, but we really cannot tell who),” said Pomarejos.
Panicked
The owner of the eatery beside the Cadungog house said that the attendants of his 24/7 eatery panicked when they saw the fire reach the second level of Cadungog’s house.
“Akong gi-evacuate akong tibuok pamilya ug staff. Dayun nikuha kos fire extinguisher. Ako silingan sad naay fire extinguisher. Among gitabangan,” said the owner.
(I evacuated my family and staff. I got my fire extinguisher. My neighbor also brought a fire extinguisher and we helped put the fire out.)
Abapon said he estimated damage to property at P20,000 for the two air conditioning units which were destroyed by the fire.
Meanwhile, Cebu City Councilor Margot Osmeña, said that she was convinced that some people were after Cadungog.
Osmeña said that she had informed about the incident and that she was just relieved that no one was hurt in the fire.
“And I already talked to Nagiel (Nagiel Bañacia, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office) who told us that the fire investigators are on top of it,” Osmeña said. /With a report from Reporter Morexette Marie B. Erram