Philpost man nabbed for setting own house on fire

An employee of the local Philippine Post Office was arrested after setting his clothes on fire inside their house at the height of a heated argument with his wife early yesterday morning in Malabon City.

Senior Superintendent Moises "Kamagong" Guevarra, Malabon police chief, identified the suspect as Jessie Paguio, 40, of Barangay Longos. Paguio’s wife, "Jolina" (not her real name), filed a complaint before the police against her husband for alleged physical abuse and for setting their house on fire.

Investigation showed that the incident occurred at around 3 a.m. yesterday. The couple were allegedly engaged in a heated verbal tussle that degenerated into a violent punching match. The wife accused her husband of habitually beating her to prove a point.

In retaliation, the wife threw her husband’s clothes out of the bedroom but this only enraged the man even more, prompting him to set his own clothes on fire.

The woman scampered out of the house for fear of getting caught in the fire and sought the assistance of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT) of Barangay Longos.

The barangay watchmen put out the fire and nabbed Paguio.