AFP general’s aunt dies in fire

An aunt of Brig. Gen. Celso Castro, commander of Camp Aguinaldo, the general headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), suffocated to death when her house was gutted by a fire after midnight yesterday.

AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Generoso Senga identified the fatality as Soledad Castro, 70. Two other relatives, Nenita Castro, 70, and Ramon Castro, 27, mother and son of the camp commander, were reportedly injured in the hour-long blaze.

Both are being treated at the Makati Medical Center.

Senga said, based on Castro’s report, the fire started at around 1 a.m. caused by faulty electrical wiring. It reportedly started in the room of the deceased, who happened to be visiting the general.

Ironically, the fire station of Camp Aguinaldo is just a few meters away from Castro’s house located on Reghis Street. It was not clear why the firefighters were not able to respond quickly despite their proximity to the burning house.

The scene of the fire was cordoned off by military police. Castro’s office refused to give further details.

Meanwhile in Manila, a 17-year-old pedicab driver was stabbed dead by a group of still unidentified men outside a videoke joint in Vitas, Tondo at dawn yesterday.

Police identified the victim as Rommel Sison, of 2441 Bonifacio St., Tondo. He died upon arrival at the Tondo Medical Center after sustaining stab wounds in the neck and back of the body.

According to initial police investigation, Sison had just stepped out of Emma’s store along Katuparan street at about 2:30 a.m. when he fell to the ground bloody.

Bystanders, who thought that he had just suffered an epileptic attack, were surprised to see the victim’s stab wounds.

Investigators theorize that the victim was followed outside of the videoke joint by the suspects who then stabbed him repeatedly and later escaped.

Probers are eyeing a long-standing personal grudge as the motive behind the incident. – Paolo Romero, Mike Frialde and Mark Raygan Garcia