Fire hits suspended Antique mayor’s property

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Vehicles worth about P12.2 million were destroyed in a fire that hit a property of a suspended mayor in Antique before dawn yesterday.

Reports said the fire started at around 1:15 a.m. at the Hacienda Feliza in Barangay Paciencia, which is owned by the family of suspended mayor Ernesto Tajanlangit III of Tobias Fornier town.

No one was reported injured or killed in the incident, authorities said.

Among those destroyed in the blaze were a Ford Mustang worth P3 million; a GMC Hummer, P8 million, and a Suzuki Ertiga multi-purpose utility vehicle worth P1.2 million.

The Mustang was reportedly owned by Tajanlangit, while the Hummer and the Ertiga were registered under the names of his father and brother, respectively.

Tajanlangit’s father is a lawyer. His brother is barangay chief of Paciencia and president of the Association of Barangay Captains of Tobias Fornier as well as of the Liga ng mga Barangay in Antique.

Last week, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered Tajanlangit suspended for six months for alleged abuse of authority, conduct unbecoming of a public official, grave misconduct and violation of Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

The charges were filed by Vice Mayor Jose Maria Fornier, with whom Tajanlangit figured in a fistfight in April over food packs intended for victims of El Niño.

Senior Fire Officer 4 Harry Artiaga, chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection in Tobias Fornier, said they received a fire call at around 1:20 a.m.

Artiaga said firefighters were able to reach the scene quickly as the area is only three kilometers away from the town proper.

Fireout was declared at 2:30 a.m.

Probers have yet to determine the cause of the fire.