Valenzuela Fire Marshal Chief Inspector Efren Yadao said that the suspect is said to be a rejected suitor of one of the victims.
Yadao requested reporters to withhold the name of the suspect, believed to be a resident of Barangay Lingunan, Valenzuela, pending his arrest. The police filed arson charges with the Valenzuela Prosecutor’s Office against the suspect last Thursday.
Police identified the suspect based on the testimonies of witnesses who claimed they saw the young man leave the house at Bartolome Subdivision in Barangay Viente Reales, minutes before it went up in flames early Sunday morning.
The inferno killed all its occupants who were sleeping on the second floor of the house. Police estimated the damage to be at least P5 million. The victims were Michelle Gibelagen, 17, and her sister, Rochelle, 16, Alma Karen Mendez, 18, her live-in partner Danny Culacobi, 28, their 3-year-old daughter Roman, Mendez’ mother Julieta, 35, and live-in partners Michell, 24, and Ryan, 25, whose last names are not yet known.
The house was owned by Michelle and Rochelle Gibelagen’s mother, Gloria. The rest of the victims were her tenants. – Nikko Dizon