The death of Jaddred Lanas is tragic on two counts.

Since the year 2000, the seven-year-old is the 25th victim of a “home alone” incident. These deaths occur when fires raze homes where children are unaccompanied by an adult.

Jaddred’s death, as well as the injuries and trauma suffered by his three other siblings, came about because their family is being dislocated by social pressures. While parents are most vulnerable to the pressure, the children bear the brunt of this social impact.

Jaddred’s perishing in a fire may be seen as an act of God, impenetrable and beyond blame.

But the parental neglect and disintegration of family life indirectly contributing to his death deserve serious contemplation and decisive action to break this tragic cycle.

Grim trend

Like most other “home alone” victims, the Lanas children were asleep when the fire broke out.

Although authorities have yet to determine the actual cause of the fire, the Oct. 26, 2005 report of Sun.Star Cebu’s Mia E. Abellana quoted the children’s aunt as saying that an older sibling blew out the candle before they went to sleep.

In September 2002, fallen gas lamps started a fire that killed three children in Toledo City, a five-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy in Asturias, and a one-year-old infant in Consolacion.

In nearly all of the “home alone” cases, the flames of toppled candles or fallen gas lamps quickly turned into a blaze due to the light housing materials. This was also the reason why roofs rapidly caved in, making it impossible for neighbors to rescue the children that panicked or lost their bearings.

In a related feature, Sun.Star Cebu also reported that rescue was further made difficult because many towns lacked adequate fire-fighting capabilities, truck and equipment. The fire incidents at times occurred in places that were not easily accessible to fire trucks.

Nearly similar conditions sealed the outcome in the Oct. 25, 2005 Looc, Liloan incident.

Derelict parents

If the “home alone” toll is high, it is because there are no adults staying with the children at home. In the June 30, 2000 fire that razed a hut in Sitio Tunga-Tuburan in Olango Island, three-month-old twins were charred. Their four-year-old brother later died in a hospital.

Perhaps because they have already suffered the grievous loss of a child or children, the parents in “home alone” incidents are rarely investigated or penalized.

Secondly, the tragedies occur after the parents have left to work and were unable to get or afford caregivers. “Home alone” children belong to generally indigent families.

However, in some cases, such as the Oct. 25, 2005 fire, neighbors’ testimonials attest that the children are neglected by parents who abandon them to go to a dance or meet a friend.

Jaddred’s mother Geraldine, for instance, is being blamed by her own relatives for leaving the children alone at night and returning only in the morning.

Husband Nestor is a seaman and currently training in Subic. According to her own sister, Geraldine is deep into debt and has many enemies because of her failure to settle her IOUs. One theory is that the fire may have been caused by an angry creditor.

While barangay officials and the community share a responsibility to monitor and ensure the safety of children and minors, their collective responsibility is also to assist families struggling in the throes of social dislocations like overseas migration.

Civic groups and concerned individuals can help stamp out “home alone” tragedies by opening opportunities for indigent and at-risk families to participate in seminars and workshops on parenting, value orientation and related topics on social adjustment.

No effort can be too great to keep the “home alone” toll at 25.