Duke Frasco says there are ‘glaring loopholes in fire investigator’s report’

This is the dump truck that was damaged after its front tire was allegedly set on fire. | Contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines —Cebu Fifth District representative Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco has called on the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) of San Francisco, Camotes to ensure integrity in their report investigation.

Frasco questioned the findings of Fire Officer 3 Ronnie Pasaol, the fire investigator on the case, who concluded that the burning of the official’s dump truck in Camotes was “accidental.”

The dump truck owned Frasco was allegedly set on fire at past 1 a.m. on Friday, January 17, 2020.

Police Major Pedy Noval V, San Francisco Police Station chief, said the white Isuzu dump truck was parked outside the home of Fabian Machete, the designated driver of the truck, in Barangay Unidos, San Francisco town when the incident happened.

Read: Frasco ‘sponsored’ dump truck for Camotes ‘set on fire’

Frasco, in a statement sent to the press on Monday evening, January 27, 2020, said there are “glaring loopholes in the local municipal fire investigator’s report.”

Pasaol, in his report, concluded that “the fire originated from the wiring of the alternator of the vehicle, causing the damage.”

Read: BFP: Frasco’s dumptruck catching fire was an ‘accident’

“The fire spread upward and sideward causing the right side tire to explode and partially damaged the front passenger side of the vehicle,” Pasaol wrote in the report dated January 24, 2020.

“Therefore, the investigators conclude that the possible cause of the fire is electrical connection caused by loose connection and is considered accidental,” he reported

But Frasco questioned the fire investigator’s findings and pointed out that the vehicle’s  alternator is intact, which couldn’t be the case if the fire started there. The fuse box, Frasco added, is also unscathed.

“Moreover, the vehicle’s engine was off, so it was also impossible for the vehicle to catch fire due to any faulty wiring,” Frasco said.

Frasco also said the supplier of the vehicle had checked the vehicle and concluded that it couldn’t have been caused by the wirings as the investigator concluded.

“Why come up with a report that defies logic and the facts on the ground? I call on the Bureau of Fire to ensure the independence and the integrity of their local fire investigator’s report,” he stated.

Frasco earlier labeled the incident as “political harrassment.”

Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (Bakud), the party of former Representative Ramon Durano and Frasco’s political rival, has since denied the accusations.

Read: Duranos on truck burning issue: A ‘political gimmick’

“I am confident that the people of the Fifth District of Cebu see through his gimmicks. For his gimmicks are as transluscent and baseless as his legitimacy,” Durano said.

“This will never deter our party, not especially with the truth on our side,” he added. /bmjo